The Courtesy of the Kings
by Marla-the-tourist
Summary: The first one is a powerful king, the ruler of all. The other one is a young hunter, about to commit regicide. Or is he? Fate might have a different intentions with him in this strange game of life. KxZ ZxK
1. Chapter 1

**Story:** AU, AH. Story is situated in 15/16th century. The long war between vampires and humans has ended. The vampires claimed their place as noble rulers with humans becoming their thralls. But not all of them are willing to accept their subordination so easily.

**Pairings: **KanamexZero / ZeroxKaname

**Rating:** M

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything related to Vampire Knight.

Enjoy!

**The Courtesy of the King**

**Chapter 1: The Game Begins**

The alley was dark and dirty. Some noise and drunken singing could be heard from the tavern at the corner. '_Lucky horseshoe_' was quite popular for its cheap prices and chesty waitresses and thus usually crowded. But the cloaked figure didn't go inside. Instead he continued walking to the carriage standing nearby, hidden from the lights. As the figure came closer, its door opened and he got in quietly.

"As you wish, my Lord," after a few minutes, the strange person stepped out bowing deeply and disappearing in shadows with rushed steps. Little jingling from his pocket suggested that it was not just a question of honor or loyalty that will make sure the job is done.

With a sound of whip and horse neighing the carriage left, only the noise coming from tavern remained, as if nothing ever happened.

* * *

"His Majesty the King!" the servant standing by the entrance suddenly announced, causing an abrupt silence as people stopped chatting and bowed simultaneously to pay their respects.

Kaname felt more than a little bit edgy as he entered the chamber and walked graciously to the throne. And those ceremonial clothes hugging his body tightly were certainly not helping him feeling any better. Yet they spoke volumes about the importance of today's guest. At least he didn't have to feel out of place as all the nobles in the throne room were wearing their best clothes that no doubt cost more than an average peasant earned in their whole life.

Kaname sighed as he gave a sign and the chit chattering began again. He really wasn't looking forward to this particular meeting. Sure, Ichijou was his guardian and a former regent when he was still too young to reign himself, but he knew better than to trust him. Thanks to his _loving care_ Kaname's childhood felt like one long imprisonment.

As the boy came of age, the old aristocrat wasn't very eager to lose his position and tried many tricks. After a long political struggle young Kaname finally took his rightful place. Yet even now, Ichijou was highly regarded among many aristocrats, and was not someone you should underestimate. That's why, when a letter came a few days ago announcing his visit, Kaname didn't find a good enough excuse to refuse. You can be the king alone and yet still have your hands tied down by all kinds of politics.

Suddenly, the noise died again and Kaname looked up expecting to see the dreaded guest. But he couldn't be more far from the truth, for there stood a beautiful young girl with long brown hair, wearing an elegant golden-white dress, which made others ladies of court pale in comparison. She looked like a true angel.

"Princess Yuuki!" the herald announced and Kaname stood up abruptly, causing nobles to bow even more deeply. He offered his hand to Yuuki as she gracefully walked to him. With a delicate smile she took it and sat down on the smaller throne next to her brother's. Only then, the king sat down as well.

"You didn't have to come, Yuuki," he whispered. She was his treasure and he didn't want her to meet the old leech.

In the past, following his mother, the queen's, request, Yuuki was sent to the manor of Count Cross, where she would spend her childhood in anonymity, away from all the dangers that court life brought. Kaname knew that he shouldn't have brought her back, that he was being weak. But he really needed her by his side then. She was an angel, a lonely light in this dark place. Kaname just hoped that Yuuki would forgive him one day for bringing her back to this sinful world.

"But I wanted to be by your side, my dear brother," she replied with a smile squeezing his hand gently. She wanted to be near him, especially when he seemed so troubled by this visit.

When Yuuki returned to the court she almost didn't recognize him. They were separated shortly after their parent's murder and when she came back, there were no traces of the sweet happy boy he used to be. Instead there was this young wary aristocrat, this authoritative yet respected king. This lonely man. He thought his mask was perfect but she could see underneath it. She could see how the court life broke him. Yuuki made up her mind then, that she would stood by his side and help him bear a little of his responsibility. She too will become strong, and together they will become respected monarchs, honoring their parent memory.

"Lord Ichijou!" at last, the third announcement came. With his head held high the blond aristocrat entered the room.

"Your Majesty, My Lady." Ichijou said and gave a little bow, just enough to not look disrespectful. Kaname didn't respond only nodding warily in acknowledgement.

The old aristocrat not least put off by the lack of comity, continued without hesitation: "As you sure know, princess will soon be old enough for marriage. I know your Majesty is still in grieving, but the country is in dire need of an heir and as a former regent of this country I feel obliged to give some suggestions of possible spouses. As I believe that this matter is not only concerning princess's future but the future of the whole country as well, and should be appropriately discussed." There was a loud murmur coming from crowd, many of them appeared agreeing.

Kaname's expression became harder. His fist clenched but other than that he gave no indication how this particular subject was painful to him. He knew since his wife murdered and he was still in grieving period, that he wouldn't be marrying anyone soon. He knew that the people were getting more and more nervous. There were a lot of assassination attempts on lives of important aristocrats happening lately, and they needed the proof that Kuran ancestry won't relinquish so easily. They were calling for offspring of royal blood.

It seemed that Ichijou noticed it, too. He certainly didn't keep this particular ace up his sleeve for too long. Kaname's lips thinned. If Ichijou suggests himself as one of the possible future husbands, that moment he'll forget all his manners and tear his head off, with a royal pleasure.

* * *

Yagari put his weapon down on the table with a tired sigh. He looked around the small messy room, not really surprised that Zero was nowhere to be seen. The boy was no fun nowadays but he couldn't blame him. With his parent's murder, transformation and increasing number of messy jobs on top... Yagari couldn't even remember when he last saw him smile.

He took a small pouch from his belt and held it on his palm thinking. He was not getting younger and the jobs were getting more and more dangerous. If something happened to him, he wanted to ensure that Zero has been taken care of. He wanted for Zero to not to be worried about his future, to give him a chance to do something else besides hunting. So he tried to save as much as he could...

After a while of arguing with himself, he groaned and headed to the door. Sometime you just need to wash away your frustrations. And there is no better place in the whole town for that than _Lucky horseshoe..._

* * *

"One more here, honey," Yagari raised his empty mug.

A waitress came soon, to give him a refill only to be suddenly hoisted onto the hunters lap. She giggled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. This was no noble establishment and the waitress was quite used to the antics of some customers. Usually, she would punch the drunk and get him back in line quickly, but the hunter was a regular in this place, and her favorite customer.

As she turned her head Yagari noticed the twin marks on woman's neck - the vampire bite. The hunter growled. He would gladly shoot the bastard's head off, but sadly, the vampire didn't do anything against the law. Not until he killed somebody. That was how things worked in this screwed up excuse for a world. Vampires were the rulers, the nobility controlling everything and people had to just deal with it.

It was the result of the dark ages, the hundreds of years of fighting between humans and vampires. No one seemed to know how it began or where the vampires came from. There were no records and if they were, the bloodsuckers take good care to destroy them. The war was long and exhausting bringing the people to the brim of extinction. Not long after that humans gave up in exchange for peace and some rights.

Vampires rebuild the human society to their liking and became the rulers. Many laws were created to ensure the humans behaved. And people, after so many years of suffering, were more than willing to become their obedient little servants. At the same time, those laws gave people some kind of sense of justice, just enough to squelch possible rebelling ideas.

And that's where hunters came. The ultimate enemy became some kind of law enforcement. Their main purpose now was making sure vampires behaved according to the law. They became obedient house-dogs, it was really quite pathetic.

But not all of them were so ready to give up and many still bore thoughts of freedom. There were secret societies planning some kind of coup d'état often secretly hiring skilled hunters as assassins. If only those bloodsuckers knew what their puppies were doing when the masters weren't looking…

Suddenly, hooded man sat down across the table, jolting Yagari out of his thoughts. _Speaking of the devil..._ The hunter patted the woman's butt and sent her back to work turning to acknowledge the newcomer. There was no doubt who was this man, even without showing his face. He meant a business, and it must have been really something as Yagari's usually stoic face showed quite a surprised expression.

* * *

Zero headed back to the small house he called home. It was in quiet part of town near fish market. Even though the constant smell of fish was killing his nose, the rent was cheap and it wasn't as if they could live wherever they wanted with their amount of earnings. Moreover, Yagari seemed to try to save as much as he could, but Zero never asked him what for.

Zero rubbed his hand to wash away the small ink sign. He didn't want Yagari to find out that he visited one of the vampire places again. He often sneaked there pretending to be an ex-human servant of one of nobles there, trying to find any clue about Shizuka. At least, he hoped that someone would recognize his face and mistake him for Ichiru thus giving him some clue. But so far no luck. It was as if they dropped off the face of the Earth alone.

The sun was rising already but Yagari was still nowhere to be seen. His weapons were on table though, so Zero assumed that he was probably in some dirty pub again, drinking his ass off again.

"Glad you show your face once in a while." A deep voice startled him suddenly, the older hunter standing at the door.

"Master, I..." Zero tried to think of something to explain his late return but Yagari waved him to be quiet.

"I've got a really interesting job offer. I think you would like to hear it."

* * *

"I can't believe it!" Kaname walked angrily to his private chambers. One bad look from him was enough to send servants to mind their own business elsewhere.

"It's not so bad ..." Yuuki followed him quickly, trying to calm him.

"Not so bad... NOT so bad? Yuuki, he wants your wedding day to be on the same day as your birthday. BIRTHDAY! It's only two months until you..." he leaned his forehead on the window panel, looking at the gardens outside and taking deep breaths. He had to calm down. He didn't want to take his anger out at Yuuki. "I refuse, even if it causes a revolt or civil war..."

"Don't brother, please! In two months I will be coming of age and that means I can decide for myself...And I most certainly won't let you do something foolish that can endanger peace in the whole country just because you think you must protect me at all costs." Yuuki wished Kaname would stop treating her like something fragile. She was old enough and capable of making her own decisions. This proposal didn't sound so bad and it would mean getting old Ichijou of their case, at least for a while. Even if that meant marrying the man she doesn't love. But she would do it, for the country... and for her brother.

"Don't you see? You are doing exactly what he wants! He knows I will never agree to something like this... he also knows that when you come of age, I have no right to veto your decision..." Kaname replied, starting to sound more miserable.

Yuuki hugged him from behind, staying like that for a minute or two quietly. "Takuma has been your best friend for so long...it couldn't be someone better, I will do it."

"He might be my friend but he is also _that person's_ grandson. If he marries you, Ichijous will become part of the royal family, giving that old leech more power than he ever had before..."

"You know Takuma; he's a really nice man. I don't believe he would betray you… us…ever."

A sudden thought struck Kaname. He turned around so he could see Yuuki in the eyes. "Yuuki, do you perhaps _love_ Takuma?" The young noble was very kindhearted, had good manners, he would certainly treat Yuuki with respect and love she deserves. Kaname trusted him, despite this whole grandfather issue and if Yuuki loved him, where's the problem, right? No, he still didn't like the idea.

Yuuki dropped her eyes so she could lie to him more easily. She knew that Kaname's marriage has been only for diplomatic purposes and he didn't really loved his wife. But she also knew how much he was looking forward to have a son. Yuuki wasn't at court yet, but he practically didn't write about anything else in his letters. Often describing how he would send his son after Yuuki to the countryside. How he would visit as often as he could, to come to play with him, to teach him… When the news about death of Kaname's pregnant wife reached her, she insisted on coming back to court immediately. Her brother needed someone to support him, someone to grieve with. It nearly destroyed him then, and she didn't want to see him hurting like that again. She would do this. She owned him so much. He protected her childhood by keeping her away to live in happiness and naivety. It was her turn to protect him. "Yes" she said firmly, praying it sounded convincing enough.

Kaname saw through the lie and gave a small smile, his little sister was really growing up... but he won't let her sacrifice herself like that. "Yuu-"

Yuuki put her finger on his lips, silencing him. "Let's go, brother," she took his arm and leaded him to the door. "We have a dinner to attend and it would be very rude of us to let our guests wait." She smiled innocently. She might not have a chance to win this fight yet, but at least she hoped to distract him enough to come up with better arguments later. As Kaname groaned loudly at the prospect, she knew she did a good job.

* * *

"You're not just drunk; you're COMPLETELY out of your mind!" Zero couldn't believe what he was hearing. Yagari must have lost it and he didn't notice it until now. "You want us to kill the king? That's a suicide!"

"I know it won't be easy, but with the money we will be paid, we could quit this miserable lifestyle and do whatever we want." He knew he was insane to accept this job, it could be their very last mission. They could so easily fail and die. But if they succeed, they'll get enough money, to not to struggle through everyday life anymore...they will be practically free. "And I have a plan-..."

"Maybe I don't want to quit, maybe I like things as they are!" True, sometimes Zero felt suicidal, but not THAT suicidal... he still had a few things he wanted to do.

Yagari snorted, he knew how to convince his pupil. "Zero, I know you want _revenge_, that you are looking for any information to find Shizuka. You think you're so clever, but I know you are still going to those dirty vampire places... but the only thing you will accomplish, is getting yourself killed. She's a pureblood, if she wants to disappear she would, and no one would be any wiser. But if there is a person who would know her whereabouts, it'll be only another pureblood... and who's better than the king himself, huh?" He knew it was a little unfair to play it like that. When Zero stayed silent, his jaw clenched as he struggled with himself, Yagari knew he won this round.

Maybe Yagari was right. It could bring him closer to his goal, and besides any dead pureblood is good pureblood, right? But he still couldn't imagine how they will pull this mission of without getting themselves killed. "And what's your _brilliant_ plan, then?"

"Well, killing a pureblood is impossible," Yagari ignored Zero's ironical snort and continued. "Not until you gain his trust and make him lower his defenses. We'll need someone to get close to him. And it wouldn't be me or any other hunter. He wouldn't trust humans around him. But Zero, you _are_ a vampire_.._. and a hunter," Yagari added quickly when Zero glared at him. "If someone can do this, it will be you."

"I am ex-human vampire _without_ master, you know what will any pureblood do with an _unbound _level D ..." dark look spreading across Zero's face. "No. Never! I won't become one of his thralls." Purebloods were capable of controlling minds of lower class vampires and he wasn't going to take his chances.

"Don't worry, that won't be a problem. Trust me a little." Yagari pointed at his neck. "You'll just need a little lucky charm." Zero didn't know what that was supposed to mean but he knew when it came to the hunter charms, there was only a few hunters better than Yagari. Zero sighed resignedly.

"And how am I supposed to get myself to court?" He really didn't think that he could just go and apply for a job or something.

"Well, it involves one kindhearted princess," the older man grinned mischievously. "It's time to finally put your charming looks to use, my dear boy."

Zero suddenly got the feeling that he wouldn't like it, _at all._


	2. Chapter 2

**2. Fateful meetings**

Yuuki was sitting at the fountain in one of the castle's gardens. She decided to go to French styled one, where every tree, shrub, lawn and hedge was carefully laid out in planned geometric and symmetrical lines thus emitting a certain sense of order. When she was here she felt like everything was going to be alright. A week passed by already, yet she still didn't know what to do with the whole marriage proposal. Even Kaname was reluctant to discuss it, rather occupying himself with other matters.

Yuuki still loved to go out in daylight, something she learned at the manor of Count Cross. Count was overly eccentric person, often coming up with most extraordinary ideas. She most certainly never got bored there, yet what she missed the most were their long walks in nature. She would often observe human children running through the fields, playing strange games, and young peasant girls peeking at passing shepherds, waving at them and giggling before their parents scolded them for not helping with work enough. When she closed her eyes she could almost hear the sounds of laughter, cheering and dog barking in the distance. It was strange, but she didn't seem to be affected by sunlight as much as most of the other vampires who were already deeply asleep. The castle was very quiet at this hour, with exception of a few guards here and there hiding in the shadows, trying not to doze off during their watch.

"Princess Yuuki, are you skipping sleep again?" a slightly scolding voice startled her from her musings.

"Yori!" Yuuki stood quickly and hugged her best friend, so glad to see her.

"Wait, you'll get dirty," Yori as a daughter of a head gardener was often covered in mud all over.

"I don't mind," Yuuki smiled, somehow reminded of their first meeting. It was shortly after her arrival to court. A lot has been going on at that time, and when she discovered this part of garden, she started to come here almost daily to relax and think. That's when she noticed a young human girl working diligently, carefully taking care of flowers, as if they were the most precious things in the world. Yuuki thought it very beautiful, and one day, decided to ask her if she could join her. The girl looked at her with a terrified expression, immediately refusing. Yuuki couldn't blame her for her reaction, it was unheard of for a vampire noble to do any kind of manual labour. Nevertheless, the next day Yori appeared with an extra pair of gloves, asking if the offer was still on.

"Are you still thinking about it?" There was no need to ask, it was written all over her friend's face, but she knew how to cheer her up. "You know what, let's go for a walk!"

* * *

Zero rubbed his neck for what seemed like a hundredth time that day. This strange stinging thing on his throat was result of the so called _Lucky Charm, _also the first step of their plan.

"_What the hell?" Zero looked at his image in the mirror, quite horrified. There was this red glowing drawing on his neck, not so different from the ink signs he used to get at those vampire establishments. But, this one was bigger and seemed a lot more permanent. And of course, there was the whole glowing thing._

"_Don't worry, it will turn black after a few hours."assured the author of the charm as he examined it more closely. "It's quite a piece of art, isn't it? I'm really proud of myself," he grinned "anyway, the important thing is, that it should protect you more effectively than any other external charm could have, and there is no danger of loosing it, either."_

_"Should? You mean, you're not sure if this actually works?" _

_"Well, there weren't many opportunities to test it out, yet." the old geezer replied. "But if this works, it would mean a complete revolution as far as the hunter charms are concerned. We're creating a history here!"_

_The young hunter just sighed and let his head fall on the table, murmuring something about being underpaid for working with lunatics. Yagari patted his shoulder comfortingly. "It will work. The old man might be a little out of it, but he's a real genius when it comes to hunter crafts." _

Zero scowled at the memory, tugging the collar of his coat higher. He glanced across the market to see Yagari standing near one of the stalls with damask fabric.

Now comes part two of the plan. Lately, there were strange rumors among the hunters about certain pureblood princess. Someone claimed to have seen her walking through the market in the middle of the day masked as one of the commoners. If this rumour was actually true, then they were really lucky, because it would save them a lot of work as it was nearly impossible to get to the castle with all the vampire guards.

They didn't know which market it was, but the bets were on the biggest one in the city. It was near harbor and merchants from all over the world were selling all kinds of exotic things like oriental spices, ivory jewelery, silk fabrics, and many other. It was always crowded. Even during night, when townsfolk were replaced by vampires.

The actual plan was to follow the princess to the less crowded alley, where Yagari would pretend to rob her, with Zero coming to the rescue. It was _a knight saving a damsel in distress _scenario, which was supposed to be some kind of romantic fantasy of many ladies. His expression darkened, this plan sounded so stupid he couldn't believe he agreed to something like this.

Still, seven days have passed already and there was still no trace of her. It seemed that the rumor was just a rumor after all.

Just as he was contemplating going to suggest the older hunter to give this whole thing up, he felt a strange presence. It was like a vampire, yet he never felt something like this before. Not since Shizuka. He almost expected to see her as he turned around, but all he could see where two young girls in commoner's cloaks. He followed them noticing that the older hunter also changed his position, as he too became aware of the new presence. Zero watched as the pair stopped by a stall of Persian merchant selling little ivory figures of various exotic creatures. Their heads were covered by hoods, but from where he stood, Zero could see their profiles. He watched as the brown-haired one took the figure of some strange long-nosed animal, listening intently as the merchant explained fierecly, how the real animal was bigger than a house and that the people of his country were using them like horses.

"Won't you buy some flowers, sir?" A kid tugged at his sleeve all of sudden. A small girl was standing behind him with armful of wild flowers. Judging by their ragged, dirty clothes, they were probably from a nearby chantry orphanage. He gave them a whole silver coin making the boy bow deeply in thanks. The girl gave him the prettiest flower she could find bowing, too. "Thank you, sir," both said in unison before running away. It was moments like this that made Zero feel really grateful for the older hunter. If Yagari hadn't taken care of him, he would be one of them, too.

Zero put the flower-bud into the pocket, his attention back at the pair of girls. Suddenly, he registered a movement in the corner of his eye. A masked figure was moving quickly in their direction. He glanced over at Yagari who wore equally surprised expression. This certainly wasn't according to the plan.

The sun reflected of something in a stranger's hand. _A dagger._ This was an actual assassin and judging from his speed, a vampire one. Zero bolted as fast as he could, tackling the attacker before he reached the girls. Both crashed into the stall, causing the small ivory figures to scatter all around. After managing to wrestle the dagger out of the stranger's hand, the hunter allowed himself to take a short look over his shoulder to make sure the girls were alright. They were on the ground on the side, the princess must have pulled her friend to safety just in time thanks to her quick reflexes. Her hood had fallen down, revealing her long hair and as Zero looked her in the eyes, something made him pause for a moment. The purebloods truly were quite a captivating creatures.

"Watch out!" She shouted suddenly, making Zero remember himself just in time to dodge a hidden blade trown in his direction. The dagger missed his heart instead hitting him in the shoulder. The hunter cursed himself for making such a juvenile mistake. He took out his own knife and after a short struggle managed to stab the assassin in the heart, watching as he dissolved to dust.

"Are you alright?" the princess kneeled before him quickly looking worriedly at his wound. A people were starting to gather around them, murmuring and pointing at the princess.

"Yuuki, we have to get out of here quick" the human girl crouched next to them glancing around nervously.

"Right, let's go!" The princess put Zero's arms over her shoulders, her other hand coming around his waist supporting his weight quite easily for someone her stature. As they brushed through the mass of people, Zero noticed Yagari standing nearby. The older hunter nodded approvingly before disappearing in the crowd, too. _Not as planned, but whatever worked, right?_

They weaved in and out of various alleyways for some while. Darn, his shoulder hurt, the dagger must have been silver. Zero was starting to feel more and more dizzy. "Where.."

"To the castle," came the haste reply. Zero's last thought before he passed out was that this whole_ 'a knight in shining armor' _thing somehow works after all.


	3. Chapter 3

**3. Yet another fateful meeting**

Zero awoke staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. He felt dazed and ached all over. The last thing he remembered was running through the streets and… Was he in the castle? He looked around, it seemed more like some kind of cottage. The furniture was old and used and what was with all the gardening tools everywhere? No, definitely not the castle.

He sighed, it was getting quite complicated. He was supposed to impress princess, make her fall in love with… wait, scratch that. More like befriend her or maybe just ask her if there are any jobs in the castle… And the more he thought about it, the more it made no sense. What were they thinking when they came up with this plan? They were so blinded by money and the prospect of killing another important bloodsucker thus making the world a better place in the process, that they just rushed into action without any thinking.

"Ah, you're awake." The young girl walked into the room carrying a bowl full of water. It was the princess' friend. She sat down and started to pat his forehead with a damp cloth. "You're in my house now… I am Yori, by the way."

"Zero," the hunter answered before he could even think about how stupid it is to give out his real name.

Zero looked at his wound, the dagger was still embedded in his shoulder. "I'm sorry, it must hurt, but we didn't want to take it out and risk causing you to bleed out. Bear with it a little longer. Yu- I mean the princess ran for help."

The pain wasn't so bad actually, but Zero was starting to get thirsty, which was definitely not good. He still hadn't drank blood since his transformation those years ago and hoped it to stay like that as long as possible. The hunter closed his eyes, trying not to smell the air too much. "You're a human…" he whispered finally.

"Yeah, I am. There are a few of us here, most of the staff are vampires tough... My mother was one, too. She was a maid in the castle, but one day she fell in love with a human. After she died at childbirth, my father kind of stayed here working. King Kaname offered to make him a vampire but my father declined saying that his true love is now in heaven and he doesn't want to make her wait for too long. And then…" Yori stopped as she realized she was talking too much. But she felt she could trust Zero, he saved her best friend's life after all. Anyway, it didn't matter anymore as her listener seemed to have passed out again.

* * *

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" shouted a page, running as fast as he could in what he hoped was the direction of king's sleeping quarters. He was on his way to the city, when he heard two women gossiping. He usually paid no attention to something like this, but overhearing the princess' name made him halt and listen.

Suddenly, a silver haired vampiress appeared in front of him, making him stop abruptly. Seiren was livid, no one was to disturb the king's rest under her watch.

"I have to… speak… to majesty. The assassin…. the princess." The man tried to catch his breath and explain at the same time.

There was a loud bang as the nearby door were flung open. Before the man's brain could register what was happening a very angry looking pureblood held him by his collar. "_What_ did you say?"

"The princess was attacked at the market," the page said with trembling voice.

"The market? What did… _where_ is she now?" The grip on his collar tightened. The man wondered for a second, if he'll survive this encounter.

"They said someone have saved her and they escaped together. Probably still in the city."

Kaname released him turning back to his room. When he heard what the man said, he jumped right out of his bed wearing just his silk robes. He grabbed the nearest decent looking garments, dressing hastily. The servants started to show up, also woken up by all this commotion.

"Prepare horses, call Kain and Aido." He started to gave out orders, sending them in all directions.

He cursed as he tore the second button off his shirt already. He needed to calm down and think. What was Yuuki doing at the market? And at this hour on top. He closed his eyes, staying like that for a minute, concentrating. _There,_ he let out a relieved breath.

"Seiren, Yuuki's somewhere in the castle. Find her and bring her to my study." The silver haired vampiress bowed and disappeared at once.

* * *

Yuuki felt like a child caught stealing sweets. Gaze glued to the ground, she explained how she and Yori found the secret tunnel that leads from castle's garden to the town, how sometimes, when all others were asleep, they would sneak out to the city. Kaname said nothing, just looking at her sternly over the table. She knew she was being punished for making him worry like that. But she didn't think something really could happen. Now she knew that it was pretty stupid to do something like this behind his back.

When she got to the part of the story about the attack, Kaname finally dropped his cold act and hastily checked her for any injuries. Not finding any, he hugged her and made her promise to not do something so foolish again. If she wanted to go to the town she could, but not without Seiren or one of the other guards.

"Ehm, brother, there is someone who needs our help…" Yuuki felt she was forgiven enough to mention this little catch in the story.

* * *

Ah, yet another unfamiliar ceiling. Zero looked around the room, he had never seen such a luxury in his life before. All this massive mahogany furniture with golden ornaments, just the bed he was laying on was enormous. No doubt he was definitely in the castle now.

He glanced at his wound, noticing that it was properly bandaged, and also quite relieved by the fact that his blood lust seemed to have stopped bothering him for now.

Suddenly a silver-haired woman walked in. "Drink this." She said simply, as she put some kind of jar on the table by the window. "And get ready. His Majesty is expecting us." Saying that she stepped outside closing the door behind her.

Zero stared after her for a while, not quite sure what to make out of it. Finally deciding that he should probably do what he was told, the hunter got up. He noticed that a new shirt was left at the foot of his bed. Dressing into it, the hunter closely examined the jar. Was that blood? He smelled it carefully, the scent was similar, but there was something strange about it. And the colour was i little bit off. Maybe they found a way to conserve it. No, the blood was still the blood. No matter how it looked now, it once belonged to some poor human. With that thought, he put the jar down, stepping away quickly.

The vampiress was waiting for him outside. As soon as she spotted him, she started to walk down the hall, fully expecting Zero to follow her without question. The hunter looked around but didn't see anyone else so, with a resigned sigh, he went after her.

They walked for quite a while until they reached a large door with two guards on the sides. _The throne room._ It was more like a hall, judging by its enormous size. The crimson-velvet wall coverings were complemented by gold garnishing and adorning the room were a rock crystal chandeliers with candles. The effect of this illumination gave a very eerie feeling. Beside that the room was quite empty, no doubt that if this were an official occasion there would be rows of chairs for nobles to sit.

They walked to the opposite end of the room. There was a raised platform on which the two thrones rested. The armoured guards standing below.

That was the first time Zero saw the king. The dark hair, the dark eyes, the unmistakable air of authority. Maybe it was because of poor lightning or maybe it was his powerful aura, but in that moment Zero felt like he stood before the dark lord himself. If Yuuki was like a sun, he was like the deepest night. The moment their eyes met, Zero felt like he knew this man forever, yet he was sure they never met before.

Seiren cleared her throat, warning the hunter to watch his manners. Zero quickly kneeled next to her, gaze turned to the ground.

"I heard you saved my sister, for that I am grateful." The strong and clear voice filled the room. The king flipped his finger and a servant came forward with quite a heavy looking sack of gold. "This should do as a reward. Or- "

"Forgive me, Your Majesty, but it's not money I want." Zero said suddenly, hearing some of the servants gasp loudly as he dared to interrupt the king.

"Oh, and what that would be then?" the kings voice sounded slightly amused. "Perhaps you would like half the kingdom or princess's hand? I hope you know that's just in fairy tales."

Zero ignored the little jibe. "I would like a job."

"_A job_?" Kaname asked, definitely amused this time. This boy was something different. "Hmm… I think it could be done."

Zero was quite surprised that it went so well. So that's how you apply for a job at the castle.


	4. Chapter 4

**4. Getting closer**

"So tell me, _who_ is your master?" The king leaned over the table watching the ex-human closely. "Where are you from?" He needed to know which country this ex-human belonged to. There was no way to tell where the ex-human came from or even get any clues about who might his master be. The markings on his neck were similar to the ones merchants from the south kingdoms wore, but the fair skin and silver hair were usually traits of the former human noblemen from northern countries.

"Well…" Zero looked at his feet, not quite sure how to answer at first. He didn't like the way those dark eyes watched him unceasingly. Both were now in much more private chamber. All the guard were sent away and it was just the two of them now. "I was born and raised here … but I don't have a master."

"Bullshit!" A hand grabbed Zero's shirt suddenly; yanking him forward and making him collide with the edge of the table quite painfully. The pureblood's face was dangerously close to his now. "You must think I'm really stupid…You have no master? Don't be ridiculous! Who are you really working for?" The king's grip tightened. The temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees. Who was this boy kidding? This country belonged under Kurans' rule and the only purebloods here were he and Yuuki. Surely he, the king of this land, would have known if there were any unbound level D's walking around. Was the ex-human acting on his own or was he acting on his master's orders?

Zero hated how his heart started pounding loudly at first, when he got the sight of the two sharp fangs right in front of his face. The pureblood sure knew how to pull his aura. But he wasn't going to be scared of any vampire. Not second time. Not anymore. Zero gripped the hand holding him.

Both of them were glaring at each other stubbornly waiting for the other to give up first. It might have turned quite ugly, if a loud bang from the door hadn't made their heads spin in its direction. There stood Yuuki with a strange expression on her face as if she couldn't decide between surprise and anger. Finally, she seemed to settle on the latter. "Brother! What are you doing? This man saved my life, this is the way you treat him?"

"He could have just staged everything." There was something strange about the whole thing, Kaname could feel it.

"If he was the one who planned it, would he also risk getting himself killed in the process? The dagger was poisoned; he wouldn't have survived without the help of court physician. You know that, you called the doctor yourself. He risked his life for me and you are just being rude in return."

Zero's eyes widened. He nearly died? Thinking about it, despite the wound being small, he was quite out of it. So it wasn't just because of the silver infecting his wound as he initially thought.

But the king wasn't about to let it go so easily. "Not, if it is all part of his masters' plan. Ex-human can't refuse his masters' order...Who is it? Who turned you? What's his name? "

Zero's grip tightened. He was getting quite irritated with the king's stubbornness. Irritated and little scared, because he can't afford to have blown his own cover. "I told you already, I don't have _a master._ Shizuka was the one to turn me, but she is definitely_ not_ my master. One day, she appeared at our door and killed my parents and that's all. She probably hadn't thought I'll survive her bite." Not entirely the whole truth, but not a lie either. Zero's jaws clenched, feeling kind of angry to have to spill it out like that. He felt their gazes on him, but strangely he found himself unable to meet them.

Finally the king's hold on his shirt eased, but the hand lingered there a little longer before pulling out completely. "I see…" Kaname said already deep in thought. Biting or hurting vassals of another pureblood was serious offense, but he wouldn't put it past Shizuka to do something like that. She was missing for some time; maybe the rumors about her madness were true. If so, she could prove to be quite dangerous.

Kaname glanced at Yuuki as she casted him one of her _'well, shouldn't you apologize'_ looks with hands on her hips. The pureblood sighed. He didn't see any reason why he should apologize for his behavior at all. And he certainly wasn't going to. "We all shall take our rests. It's far in the afternoon already." Kaname felt quite tired himself, a lot of things happened lately. "Seiren will show you to your room..."

"Zero. My name is Zero."

* * *

"Here, let me take it for you." Zero took a stack of dry branches from Yori's hands. A week had passed already, but he had yet to speak with the pureblood. Whenever he tried to get an audience with him, he was stopped by Seiren saying the king was currently busy with other more urgent matters. There wasn't anything he could really do about it, so he found himself helping Yori with her gardening duties instead.

But he couldn't really complain. He got access to all the food in castle's kitchen and had his own comfy room in servants' building.

"Thanks." Yori was really grateful for Zero's help. Her father was sick and she wouldn't be able to do all of this by herself. "Won't you come have a breakfast with me and my father, Zero?" Yori decided to invite him as a thank you.

"Sure." Zero agreed easily. It certainly beat going to the castle's kitchen and meeting other servants. They weren't exactly hostile, but they were kind of wary of him. He didn't really understand what their problem was, until it was explained to him that his level D status might be the reason.

_He entered the side kitchen, which served as some kind of dining room for servants, and once again the girls sitting there stopped talking suddenly and started casting quite suspicious looks his direction instead. The change in the atmosphere was quite apparent. He was not welcome here obviously. Zero didn't understand why all the servants behaved like that, but decided to ignore them as usual. He headed to the main kitchen to grab a slice of bread and cheese when a figure of elderly woman with a big tray blocked the doorway suddenly, making him stop abruptly as not to crash into her. The woman looked at him and then behind at the girls and sighed dramatically._

_"__Girls, don't you have a work to do? Milady Ruka requested to have a breakfast prepared in winter garden an hour ago. Don't tell me you haven't even started with preparations?" The woman cast them her most stern look. "Here, take this tray and hurry!" The panicked looks on the girls__' faces were priceless. They all__ got up at once and disappeared in the hall quickly as if their behinds were on fire._

_The strange woman chuckled. "Actually I made that up. Milady Ruka is still asleep, but it wouldn't hurt the girls to do some proper work in advance for once... __Well boy, sit down! I'll be right back." Her figure disappeared in the kitchen for a while, before appearing with a big tray full of something that smelled really good. "Our young king just sent it back saying he isn't hungry. Well boy, want to try some royal breakfast today?" She set the plate in front of him sitting on the opposite side. "And don't mind those silly girls. You're probably the only level D we have right now in the castle. People tend to be guarded around them as they were bound directly to their master__and most of them were used as their eyes and ears. You could have never been sure if you haven't said a wrong thing in front of the wrong set of ears. But now, our young king and princess don't have any. The former king and queen didn't have any either. Not that I knew about. And believe me, I know a lot… What kind of head housekeeper would I be if I didn't know what's going on around here?" She bumped her chest proudly, laughing. _

_Zero kind of liked her. She was very...unusual for a vampire.__Zero took a bite and decided right there that he had never eaten something so delicious before. The woman watched for a while as he gulped the food with the speed of royal horse. „There is still more in the pantry, so eat as much as you want." She smiled at him warmly." This is my thank you gift for saving our princess. Whenever you feel hungry, come find old Bertha and I__'ll always bring something good for you from the royal kitchen...You know,__ it was very brave of you. You remind me of my grandson. He was a very kind boy. And brave. Sadly, he was born in such bad times, but died as a real hero. I still carry insignia from his uniform. Look." She took the cloth out of her pocket and showed it to Zero._

"_He fought in the great blood war?" He recognized the sign from one of the Yagari's hunter books. It was the last and longest war between humans and vampires, which they lost so tragically._

"_Of course, which war did you think I was talking about? Such bravery, he and his troop held the line until all the innocents were in safety. They saved the whole village from hunters' raid that day. Alas, they all lost their lives there." Zero put down the spoon, suddenly not so sure he was feeling hungry anymore._

Some noise coming from the stables brought Zero back from the memory. Out of nowhere a beautiful white horse was running in their direction. "Somebody catch her!" A few people seemed to be chasing after her.

Zero would have been content just watching how it unfolds, but the mare started heading to their part of the garden where they worked so hard until now and he wasn't about to let her destroy all their hard work. He had some horse training as a hunter, so he might as well put it to use now. Zero matched his speed with the mare, grabbed her mane and pulled himself up. The horse started to rear up and Zero did all it took to stay on top of her. Whispering soothing words, he tried to shift his weight more naturally. After a while of struggling she seemed to finally relax and slowly started to accept her new rider. Zero tried to steer her and surprisingly, the mare listened. It looks like she was trained, just a little bit wild.

"I can't believe that someone actually tamed that monster." The mare's pursuers seemed to finally catch up. They were two young nobles dressed for the horse-riding. The mare neighed at them in warning but stayed calm otherwise.

"She's not a monster! I think she's beautiful. Just a little bit temperamental, that's all." Zero patted the mare's strong neck and sent the small blond noble a glare, not liking him already.

"I agree." A familiar voice commented as the king appeared beside them suddenly. He too was dressed for the ride. Kaname looked at Zero with what almost looked like approval and continued explaining. "She wouldn't let anyone sit on her. The only person ever able to ride on her was my wife. But it seems she took quite a liking to you."

"Aido actually thought that he found a way to tame her and wanted to try it as soon as we came back. Surprisingly, it didn't work...again." The tallest noble explained.

"Hey! It was really close this time. And you commoner…" the one called Aido rounded on Zero. "Get down! It's a royal horse you're sitting on. And it's incredibly rude to speak to his majesty from any heightened position. How dare you!"

"Relax, Aido! 'His majesty' doesn't mind in this case." Kaname retorted, but his eyes stayed focused on Zero. "Your name was Zero, right? Say, would you care to join me for a ride? I'm sure Lily would really appreciate it after such a long time."

"B-but my lord, we've just arrived, you should get some rest." Apparently Aido didn't get the clue that he was being dismissed.

"I'm sure I know best what's good for me, lord Aido." Kaname said with an angry frown. "But you're right. You and Kain should head back and rest. "He glanced over his shoulder." You too, Seiren. I don't think I'll need a bodyguard in local woods." The moment he said that, a small figure appeared bowing. She didn't look very pleased by the order. But it's not as if the pureblood couldn't defend himself against one ex-human after all.

"My deepest apologies, your majesty! I didn't mean to make an offence." Aido bowed so deeply his head almost touched the ground.

"We really should go. Excuse us, your majesty." Kain also bowed, just not so dramatically as his cousin and started steering Aido in the direction of the castle.

* * *

"It's funny, we can outrun any horse we want, but still, the view from the saddle is the most beautiful one, and definitely not so tiring." the king said after a while. They rode at slow pace, white horse next to the black one, exchanging a few words here and there, but mostly staying in content silence. Both of them lost in their own thoughts.

Zero wondered if he should use this opportunity. After all, they were alone in the middle of nowhere and the king looked more relaxed than ever. The hunter glanced at the sword by the pureblood's side. It was the perfect opportunity and yet he found himself quite reluctant to try anything. No, even if he had a weapon, killing pureblood in his full power was just impossible. He should stick to the plan. At least that was what Zero tried to convince himself.

Kaname's thoughts were also swirling around assassination, but a different one. There were still no messages from Rima and Shiki since they left the country and he wondered if they had found anything new about the emblem that was engraved on the assassin's dagger.

Zero had enough of thinking especially about the real reason behind his reluctance to try anything and just blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Let's have a race." He regretted it the moment it left his mouth.

The king looked at him perplexed, not sure how to respond at first. Finally, he smirked. "Sure, but I have to warn you, you won't see anything but my back for the rest of the ride." With that, he set off at a rapid pace, his dark cape floating behind him.

"Hey!" Zero spurred Lily and set off after him. He was trying to catch up, but it was a little tricky to maneuver with all the trees around and the king soon started gaining quite a distance. The hunter pushed the mare harder and harder and just as they were about to jump over the small swamp, Lily decided she had just enough. She stopped abruptly, making unsuspecting Zero fall over her head, right into the middle of small mud pit.

As soon as the pureblood noticed that no one was following him anymore, he headed back and did all he could to not burst out laughing at the sight of the ex-human. "If it is any consolation, I must say that the mud goes well with your eyes." He said with as straight a face as he could.

Zero glared at him. "Yeah? So why don't you try it? I am sure it will suit you more." He grabbed a big chunk of mud and hurled it at the king. Kaname was actually too busy making fun of the ex-human to be paying much attention and it hit him right in the face.

"What the…" this little_ low blood_! "How dare you…" the pureblood didn't get to finish. The horse responding to his darkening mood reared up suddenly, sending his master sprawling on the ground, right next to Zero.

They looked at each other for a while. Seeing each other sitting in the middle of a swamp, covered in mud all over, they burst out laughing. They couldn't help it, it was just too absurd. "I nearly forgot my payback." Kaname splashed Zero's face with a fresh dose of dirt. "Hey!" The hunter wasn't about to let it go so easily and both of them ended up fighting like little kids, really forgetting themselves for the first time in a very long time.

Kaname was just pushing Zero back into the mud, when he stopped suddenly. The hunter looked up into those dark eyes and gulped, the face bending over him was completely serious all of sudden. _What the..._Zero wasn't sure what to think or expect for a moment, when he too heard voices, not so far from them. Of course, the pureblood would hear them first. It was still early in the morning, but probably the right time for local wood cutters to start with their daily work.

Kaname stood up abruptly, maintaining his king's mask again. "Uh… we should go." He tried to clean himself of dirt with not much success. Both of them were covered in mud from head to toes. "Zero, let's not tell anybody about this. Ever."

"Agreed." Zero smirked. Little disappointed that the short moment he saw the king without his serious mask was gone.

Kaname whistled for his horse and looked over his shoulder for the last time. "This evening, after you wake up, come find me. I might have a job for you." He said with an enigmatic smile before mounting his horse and setting off.

* * *

A/N: Chapter edited 4/2011

Thank you so much for all your reviews!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N:

_Chapter 4 should be now edited, there were some minor chages: _

_most significant were these two: _

_1. strange old lady's name is Bertha as I forgot to mention her name in the chapter _

_2. the great war is now called great blood war. _

**5. The truth in cards**

It was night already when Zero woke up. He had slept for surprisingly long time, yet he still didn't feel like getting up for a while. So he lied on his back instead, thinking about what happened that morning. He grimaced as he remembered the mud fight. What were they five years old? It was quite embarrassing but funny at the same time. It just seemed right at that moment. Not counting his brother, Zero didn't know many children when he was small. Was that what it felt like to have a fun with friends? Friends... No, that wasn't even possible. Kuran was the king of the vampires, the same creature that was responsible for his parents' death. And Zero was supposed to be his assassin. He was here to kill him. There was no way for them to become friends. He should get it straight in his head and draw the line here. Zero was just trying to gain kings' trust. That was all.

That reminded him, in a week when the full moon comes, he was going to meet Yagari, to get new orders and tell him about his progress. But what will he tell him?

Zero finally got up. He was also supposed to meet the king this evening. Zero glanced out of the window; it seemed he will be a little late as it was night already. Yet he seemed quite reluctant to go there, because of their previous meeting. So he decided to go to the kitchen first, surely the king could wait. He made Zero wait for a whole week anyway. The hunter would be damned if he didn't get some kind of retribution for that.

The side kitchen was empty again, except for old Bertha who was sorting out silver cutlery and plates humming some melody to herself. As soon as she spotted Zero, she gestured him to sit down and brought him big bowl of porridge and a jar of the same red liquid he got the first day in castle.

"Oh, dearie, I hoped you would come today again. I saved you something on the side." She said with a broad smile.

"Uh, thanks." Zero really wasn't used to being taken care of like this. It was kind of nice. And the food was delicious as expected. He glanced suspiciously at the jar, he was really curious. It looked very similar to blood but the smell was a little off. "Uh, Bertha? Is that a human blood?" Zero hadn't noticed any 'human food' around, but wouldn't be too surprised if it appeared there are some dirty secrets in one of the castle's dungeons.

"Oh, don't be silly, dear. Of course it's not human blood. It is just animal. I know it doesn't sound very delicious but the taste is surprisingly good. The court alchemists came up with some fancy formula that allows them to produce this liquid. It works as a good replacement for human blood. Our majesty encourages its production for the sake of strengthening the peace between vampires and humans. Some accepted it, but some nobles just see it as king's eccentricity or even weakness." Bertha added the last part in whisper. "If you ask me, it's a very good idea. I still remember those dark barbaric times before the great blood war."

Zero found it all really interesting. But he still was not very eager to touch the liquid. Bertha seemed to notice his reluctance. "Well, you're still young and pretty so I'm sure you can find yourself a pretty merchant girl in the town if you prefer human blood. Just don't forget that killing humans is now prohibited in this kingdom!"

* * *

Zero sighed as he took another wrong turn. He was lost. Why were they building the castles so big anyway? Sure it looked pretty magnificent with all those towers and marble walls from the outside, but it was totally unpractical. The last maid he asked for directions said that the king's study should be somewhere around here and finally, he could hear the pureblood's voice. It seemed to come from the other end of this hall. Zero spotted the two guards standing by the entrance and wondered shortly if there will be some kind of trouble. But it seemed that they were expecting him as they uncrossed their spears and let him in.

Kaname was sitting by the large oak table that was in the middle of the room. As soon as Zero entered he looked up shortly from the numerous parchments that were spread in front of him. A strange look crossed his face, but it was gone just as quickly and the king continued as if he didn't even notice the new presence. The two fancy looking advisors standing by the kings' desk were casting dirty looks in Zero's direction but fortunately decided to not voice their opinions about the level D's intrusion.

After a while of awkwardly standing by the door waiting for some acknowledgement, Zero begun to wonder if the king decided to ignore him just to reprimand him for showing up this late. The hunter had enough of looking like an idiot and as he cleared his throat to announce his presence, the king put down the seal with a little more vehemence than necessary.

"Let's take a break." The pureblood spoke finally.

"Of course, your majesty." The two advisors bowed trying not to drop all the parchment they were holding and disappeared gladly in the hallway. They weren't very eager to find out what made the king so edgy suddenly.

"So Zero... I'm glad you _finally_ decided to show yourself." The king addressed the ex-human finally, but surprisingly, it didn't sound angry at all. The king got up from his chair and stretched his back. Kaname was tired of all that paperwork and actually quite grateful for the little escape that Zero's arrival provided him. He walked to the window looking at the gardens. He saw Yuuki with her ladies in waiting and smiled a little. Otherwise, he stayed silent and seemed to be waiting for the ex-human's response.

But it seemed that Zero wasn't about to offer any kind of apology for his late arrival. It actually amused Kaname. Really, this boy had some nerve. Was he rude intentionally or was he just oblivious? It actually intrigued him. Maybe that's what he was looking for. "Just to make it clear, I won't tolerate such a thing for the second time. Not with the job I am to offer to you... To be honest, I wasn't too eager to trust you so soon, but Yuuki spoke quite vehemently in your defense. And of course, I also owe you for saving her life."

Zero stepped to the window right next to the king, looking out, too. "Then, what's the job?" He glanced at the other and noticed that the pureblood tensed suddenly. He wasn't sure what was wrong for a moment until he realized he might have overstepped some boundaries. He remembered Seiren's shore lecture he got the first day in the castle. He was in the presence of the king, yet he was behaving as if he was just chatting with some pal he just met in a pub. Zero cleared his throat quickly. "I apologize for my rude behavior, your majesty. I should watch my manners." He started to make some acceptable distance between them, but Kaname caught his arm suddenly. Zero looked down at those long fingers gripping his sleeve not letting him back away.

"No, it's okay. I give you permission to act freely in the king's presence." The pureblood reassured him with strangely amused look on his face. He should be offended by ex-human's behavior, he should demand an apology, but it was kind of refreshing to have someone like this around. Except for Yuuki, it was a long time since Kaname was in the presence of someone who treated him normally for a change. Not just another person acting like he should watch himself every second in his presence or waiting for any sign of weakness.

"Say Zero, what would you say about being my manservant?" the pureblood asked still holding the other's gaze intently.

"_Manservant_?" Zero actually tried to back away more seriously now. He wasn't sure what manservant was supposed to be but it gave him creeps. It sounded somehow wrong, even dirty.

Seeing as the ex-human was probably getting the wrong idea, Kaname tried to explain it better. "_In other words_, my personal servant or assistant if you prefer. You'll be required to assist me in everyday matters. The old one that served even my parents died some time ago and I think it's the highest time to find a new one. Right now Seiren is substituting for him, but I can't overwork her like that for too long."

"Oh, I see. That sounds... good." Zero sighed in relief, shooing all those images the word gave him away.

"Good, I'll let Seiren know that you can begin your training today."

* * *

And so the training began. They started with fighting skills and after some time, Zero was quite sure Seiren must be bent on beating the hell out of him. It was harder than any training he did before. But the hunter survived Yagari's drills; there is no way he would give up now. Zero wondered why the hell servant should be skilled in fighting, but Seiren just answered in her usual stoic manner that as a personal servant of the king, he should be also capable of protecting him if the need arises. Zero smiled at the irony.

It was actually quite interesting. The fighting style was very different from what he was thought as a hunter. It was more focused on his vampire abilities, more instinctual and less planning ahead. Zero was slowly finding a lot of things about his vampire side and tried not to think too much about how he seemed to enjoy it.

But the physical training wasn't the worst. No, the worst were all those etiquette rules he had to learn, like what fork went where, which color of clothes was best to which occasion, how to greet lord properly depending on their titles, proper way of bowing and many, many more. It made his head spin and after a while Zero wasn't even sure he could breathe in certain direction without offending someone.

But after a few weeks the training was coming to its final stage. Zero hadn't seen anyone form the castle during that time, he was just glad to manage to drag himself out and into the bed. But Zero was quite a quick learner and Seiren even forgot herself a few times and actually praised Zero's performance. He wondered how she managed to train him and still do all the other work for the king. But it seemed she too was getting tired and both of them were quite relieved when the training seemed to come to an end finally. Zero was still expected to come and hone his fighting skills with Seiren occasionally, but the worst seemed to be over.

* * *

After that last training session Zero decided to head back to his room and call it quits for the rest of the night. He was tired but he couldn't fall asleep. The hunter couldn't help but feel a little bit nervous about the next day, his first day of _job._ He tried to remember all the things Seiren literally tried to beat into his head. It was maddening, all those rules. But deep inside, he was a little impressed. The servants sure didn't have it easy, always careful not to screw up or to anger any of the nobles. But whatever, if some noble behaved like an ass, Zero wasn't going to just bow and apologize. No, he was going to give him a piece of his mind, screw the rules, he wasn't anyone's thrall. Zero swore he wouldn't be able to look at fork or spoon the same ever again. And it was not as if _the manservant_ was supposed to arrange royal cutlery or clothes and other things, he just had to know the proper ways in case one of the other servants screwed up.

Just as he was finally drifting off to sleep he heard a soft knock on the door. Zero reluctantly dragged his tired body out of bed. There stood a small hooded figure. Oh, he knew this figure quite well. "Your majesty...wha-" Zero's sentence was cut off by Yuuki's hand clamping over his mouth.

"Shh!" The princess silenced him and looked around nervously. It would cause all kinds of rumors if she was caught lurking in the servants' building. Not to mention visiting a male. Fortunately, most of the servants were still working at this time.

"Not here, come with me." She grabbed Zero's hand and started to drag him somewhere quickly. The hunter too tired to protest too much. Moreover, she was using that inhuman strength of hers and again, it made him wonder how much more power could be hidden in such a small frame.

She couldn't be thinking about another secret trip to the town, could she? But he wasn't left wondering for too long as he found himself in front of the door of Yori's cottage. "Here we are." The princess grinned happily as she pushed Zero inside. Yori was standing inside obviously expecting them.

"Surprise!" Yuuki and Yori shouted in unison.

Zero looked at their grinning faces and around the small room that was probably supposed to be decorated for some celebration. There was a big wooden table in the middle full of deliciously looking food. "What is it all about?"

"It's a celebration for successfully surviving Seiren's training and start of your new job, obviously." Yuuki explained as she started to stuff her face with a cake already, almost purring in satisfaction. "So delicious... Bertha's cakes are the best!" She proclaimed happily with her faces full.

Yori chuckled at her antics and beckoned Zero to join them at the table. Soon, they all started sampling various cakes. The ex-human tried to avoid the ones that looked like they posed a high risk of sugar overdose. He listened as the girls started describing their adventures from their secret trips. Looking at them now, Zero couldn't believe he was looking at the pureblood princess and her supposed thrall. No, it was more like watching two close friends.

"I know! Let's try reading some tarot cards!" Yuuki blurted out suddenly, quickly finishing her third cake and jumping to her feet. "Wait! Try not to wake my father-" Yori tried to warn her, but Yuuki was already out of the room. Yori explained shortly."We bought the cards form one of the merchants in the market. Since then, Yuuki tries to read everyone's destiny but most of the ladies in waiting call it strange witchcraft and refuse. So it's usually just the two of us. She must be happy that she has another, uh, victim. "

And soon enough, Yuuki was back with a deck of suspiciously looking cards in hand.

"Pick three cards, Zero." She handed him the packet, looking at him expectantly. Zero from time to time met the so called 'witches from south' in town. The dark skinned women who were eager to read anyone's destiny for a good coin, but he never believed it and certainly never tried it. But the princess looked so serious about it, he decided to play along. He picked up three cards and put them on the table.

"Let's see... uh ... a king of swords means..." Yuuki's eyebrows knitted in concentration. "Oh, I know!" She grinned triumphantly. "You'll meet a dark stranger and it will be the love of your life... Oh, that's so romantic!"

Zero rolled his eyes; he should've expected something like that.

"It's possible you met that person already." Yori chuckled at that revelation, as she peered from behind Yuuki's shoulders. She too didn't take the princess' new hobby very seriously. But it fun.

"Wait, there is more." Yuuki didn't pay attention to their scepticism. "Tower... the hard times are coming. Zero, it seems that soon both your fates will be in your hands." Yuuki became serious all of sudden. "You _must_ make the right choice or you will lose everything! You must be careful, please."

* * *

A/N: This chapter is yet unedited so beware of mistakes or awkward wording. I'll definitely come back to fix it later.

All those that reviewed or favourited the story **thank you so very much! **You motivate me to write more.

If anyone is interested in the cards' meanings:

Credit goes to_ biddytarot_ site, if you are interested in more, you can check the site. I think their descriptions are very apt.

**A king of swords:**

_This ruler is the epitome of intellectual power and represents judgement, command, and rulership. His character indicates the stern leadership of a judge, lawyer, or military commander whose emotions must be kept in check under the pressure of battle._

_Physical Description - Dark brown hair, gray/hazel or blue eyes._

_Personality Traits - His application of intelligence has made his heart cold, and he holds back any subtle feelings. He understands human nature, and uses this understanding for his own advantage. In position of trust and authority. Logical and calm. He dislikes overt displays of emotion. Requires a lot of mental stimulation._

**Tower:**

_The image shows a sudden thunderbolt striking a tower, knocking off its crown and hurling two occupants head first in a downward decent._

_That sudden realization that our comfort was based on an inadequate foundation of thought, belief and action is a humbling, frightful but necessary experience. We will feel afraid, shaken and insecure. It is a time of great turmoil as we seek to understand how we could have been so wrong, so fooled, so naive, or so blind._

_Soul shaking experiences though difficult are necessary for they literally force us to grow beyond our present level by blowing us out of our comfort zones. Once we hit bottom the choice is ours, we can revert to the self-defeating, bondage of self (Devil) or reach for the Star._


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Wow, this is my longest chapter so far. ^^And originally it was even longer, but I had to cross some parts out, it was just too soon for them. But the remaining scenes gave me enough hard time. XD I've rewritten a certain scene countless times, and now I am afraid to reread it as I might get another urge to rewrite them again. The fact that I found myself quite often struggling with English didn't help either... Well, what I am trying to say is, that there may be some mistakes and awkward wording.^^; I'll try to edit it soon enough.

But the chapter is finally here, so enjoy^^/

* * *

**6. Questions of loyalties**

'_Knock, knock_'

The hunter groaned burying his head under the pillow. For the second time that day Zero had been woken up by someone knocking on the door. This time he had no intention of going to acknowledge whoever dared to disturb that little sleep he got. The surprise party lasted into the late hours of afternoon and even though Zero managed to get a few good hours of sleep, he still felt like it was just a minutes ago when he dragged himself into the bed. The knocking started to be a little more persistent, but Zero only buried himself deeper in attempt to ignore it. And he was pretty successful at tuning out the noise, nearly falling asleep again, until he heard a voice of a young woman coming from the door's direction.

"Mister Zero, are you there?" Mister? Well, that was new. It certainly got Zero's attention. After a short fight with himself, he finally dragged his tired body to the door opening them with a little more killing intention than the poor maid standing there probably deserved.

"Uh...mister Zero?" The young girl looked quite startled, but continued. "Lady Yuuki sent me to wake you up, sir. Also, this was in front of your door." She handed him a small package uncertainly.

"Huh?" Zero took it and looked inside. Someone was giving him clothes? Why? They were a little bit more fancy looking than his usual 'peasant' ones. The hunter frowned, his clothes weren't that cheap. It took at least five full payments from association before he managed to buy them. But he had to admit, in certain situations, he might be mistaken for a bandit. Well, it was his fighting gear after all. He touched the expensive fabric in the package carefully. He was processing things a little bit slower than usual in his half-awake state, only just now figuring out that this must be his new work uniform. It seems that as the king's new manservant he had to look the part, too. That reminded him... he paled in sudden realization.

"What time is it?" Zero asked the maid urgently.

"Uh... eight in the evening, sir."

_Shit._ He was going to be late. "Thanks." He shut the door in poor girls face, had he more time he might have felt sorry for her. Or maybe not, she was one of the gossiping trio from the kitchen. Why was she suddenly so docile? Was it princess' orders? And why the hell didn't Yuuki sent someone a little earlier? Even if he used inhuman speed now, he would barely make it on time. Zero started undressing, stubbornly refusing to acknowledge that it might be partly his fault too for ignoring the knocking for so long in the first place.

Running with a vampire speed and managing not take too many wrong turns in the castle, Zero arrived just on time. Seiren was already standing by the entrance leading to the king's personal chambers, obviously about to step in for him. If the one she personally trained didn't show up on time on his first day, it would be her failure, too. She sent him the most displeased look Zero had seen on her so far, but stepped aside to let him pass.

"Do not let it happen a second time." She sent a quiet warning after him.

Zero entered and looked around. The royal chambers were huge. Going through the small entrance hall he stepped in what seemed to be study room or maybe some kind of lounge. There were padded chairs and stools, a working desk, and few bookshelves with various maps and documents scattered all around. The walls were decorated with portraits picturing scenery or some important looking nobles and a few hunt trophies of animals the king had probably hunted himself, some of which Zero had never seen in his life before and had no idea what they could be called. On the other side were doors leading to the king's sleeping chamber. There was a large bed with very expensive looking silk and satin bed sheets, some wooden wardrobes and commodes and other fancy stuff. But Zero didn't examine it more closely; right now his was more concerned where the king was, as the rooms were empty. Was he late after all?

Suddenly, he heard the sound of water coming from one corner of the room. Zero stepped closer noticing that behind the folding screen was hidden entrance to another adjacent room. It was smaller and much less luxuriously decorated. The only furniture was a few towel racks and tables for various oils and shampoos. There was a huge bathtub in the middle of the room that seemed to be warmed by the small controlled fireplace underneath. But more importantly, the king was lying in said bathtub, relaxing as a young maid washed his hair. Zero certainly didn't expect to walk in on such a sight. The ex-human realized he must be terribly intruding and hurried quickly out of the room to wait outside, but Kaname called him back.

"Ah, Zero, you're here. Good." The pureblood said opening one eye shortly, to look at the newcomer. He let the maid massage his scalp for a while more, before he gestured for her to stop and disappeared under the water to wash the remains of the shampoo from his hair.

Kaname stepped out of the tub, not at all concerned that he was completely naked, and asked for the towel. The maid already started cleaning up the oils and shampoos she used on king's hair, so Zero was the one who grabbed nearest towel and handed it to the pureblood. But the king didn't take it. Instead, he picked up a parchment from nearby table and started reading his schedule, explaining what would be the manservant's duties during tonight. After a while he looked at the ex-human, who was still standing there with towel in hand, curiously. Zero suddenly realized that he was the one expected to dry him off. He glanced at the maid, but she continued cleaning completely unfazed by this. This was obviously a very normal situation. The ex-human gulped, he didn't imagine that his first duty would be something like this.

Zero suddenly remembered the one time he overheard a discussion between the group of older hunters as they all gathered in Lucky Horseshoe over the mugs of good beer. They joked that if their hunter careers ever failed they would apply for the job in some pretty noble lady's household. There were rumors that the lord-lings felt so high and mighty that they regarded servants as no better than furniture and had no problem being naked or fucking each other in front of them. Zero now thought that there might be some truth about it after all. But the ex-human wasn't sure what would his reaction be if he happened to walk in on some nobles having sex and he certainly had no desire to find out, ever.

He was blushing enough already as it was, as he started drying off the pureblood carefully, trying not to stare too much at the body in front of him. Zero tried to concentrate on the king's explanation of his duties, instead, but it was proving to be harder and harder, dreading the moment he would have to go a little lower with the towel. Zero had to admit that the pureblood's body was practically perfect, not even a small mistake or badly placed mole, almost like statue, if only statues were warm to touch. Zero shook his head. Was he really just now thinking about another man's body as beautiful? What was wrong with him? It must be just a reaction to the pureblood's natural physiology. As the ultimate predators, they were designed to look attractive almost magnetically alluring to humans.

Zero held his head down to hide his embarrassment so he didn't notice the suddenly amused look on Kaname's face. The pureblood was quite aware of how carefully was his new manservant handling him. He watched him for a while when a predatory look crossed his face as he got an idea. He bended a little until his mouth was very close to the ex-human's ear, breathing out slowly, sensually onto the exposed earlobe.

"Wha-" Zero nearly dropped the towel from shock. He stepped back quickly, glaring at the pureblood accusingly. He was too much concentrating on his task to pay any attention on what the pureblood was up to. Kaname chuckled at the ex-human's reaction.

"Seriously, do I look like I'm made of porcelain or something? You can use a little more strength with that towel. I promise it's not too rough material to hurt the royal me." Kaname teased making the ex-human blush even more. He couldn't help it. It was just too amusing to see Zero embarrassed like that.

But he decided to have a mercy on him after all. "Give me that." He motioned for the towel.

"There are some letters in the bedroom that need to be sent urgently. Take them and bring them to the delivery boy. You should find him in the kitchens."

Zero handed the towel a little too eagerly, more than glad to be able to excuse himself as he hurried out of the room.

When he came back the king was dressed already. The pureblood was wearing a white tunic and three maids were currently offering him various kinds of vests. Kaname touched the black one feeling its material and nodding in content. The other two went to put the clothes away only to bring matching set of jewelry to choose from instead. As the king seemed occupied Zero decided to check the room if anything was amiss. This was also one of his duties, to make sure other servants did their job properly. But it seemed that they did a good job and the room was pretty much clean.

Suddenly a servant boy entered the room holding a pitcher of the blood colored liquid. This one smelled a little bit different than the others from the kitchen.

"Fresh drink for the king, sir." The boy explained, putting the pitcher on the table and bowing to Zero before leaving the room. Zero realized that he was called sir once again. Thinking about it all of the servants behaved unnaturally politely towards him, today. He wondered what brought that change. Was he suddenly above them, as king's new manservant? Well, that was interesting.

"Well? How do I look?" Kaname smiled at Zero enigmatically. The pureblood looked good and he knew it.

"Well, it could be worse." Zero said nonchalantly. Of course, the pureblood looked perfect. But Zero was still a little peeved about Kaname's stunt earlier and didn't want to give him that satisfaction.

The king chuckled." Oh, I guess that would have to do then."

"Grab those documents on my desk, Zero. We have quite a long night ahead of us."

* * *

And long night it was. It consisted mostly of paperwork, discussing various matters with advisors, one hilarious lunch the king had with Yuuki and another huge load of paperwork again. Zero was mostly standing nearby Kaname, usually functioning as delivery or messenger boy if needed.

In the early morning hours the meeting with ministers was held. All kinds of important looking nobles showed up, puffing their chest to better expose all those important insignias on their chests for everyone to see, so no one could have any doubts about their importance. They all sat by the long table with the king in the head, drinking wine and discussing important state matters. Well calling it a discussion was a little overdoing it. Whenever someone proposed an idea or law, five others completely dismissed it immediately. The only thing they seemed to have agreed on was that they all tried to degrade the others to make themselves look better in front of the king. They were going on it for two hours already and it was starting to feel really frustrating. Zero wondered how Kaname could stand it. He looked in pureblood's direction and was surprised with what he saw. Long gone was the playful man from the morning, he was replaced by the uncompromising, powerful king. His face becoming an emotionless mask. Kaname knew this meeting wouldn't lead to anything, but he also knew it was unnecessary evil in order to appease the nobles, who needed to feel important enough, who needed to be reassured they had some saying in politics of this kingdom.

Zero was pretty relieved when the meeting finally ended and he got a leave for the rest of the morning. The sun was just coming up, when he exited the castle, but he saw that Yori was already up and working. They chatted for a while, when he suddenly heard Yuuki's voice from behind the hedges not so far from them. It seemed she was also in the gardens and he headed to greet her, but Yori stopped him suddenly.

"Wait! Look more carefully." She pointed to the clearing between the hedges.

Zero moved a little closer to see better around all those bushes and noticed that Yuuki wasn't alone but surrounded by others ladies of the court as they all sat comfortably doing embroidery while enjoying the peaceful atmosphere of the gardens. Well that could have been pretty awkward situation. Yuuki was so lively and acted so friendly that Zero forgot for a while that she was still the princess of this country and had a reputation to hold. He as an ex-human servant had no right to speak to her freely in front like that. Of course, Yuuki wouldn't mind, she was airheaded like that, but it would create all kinds of very bad rumors, if Zero acted openly around her in front of others.

Yuuki must have felt that someone was watching her as she started looking around and spotted them. She made sure that all other ladies were currently busy listening to Ruka's gossip and started making funny faces in their direction.

"Is there something wrong with your face, my lady?" Ruka looked at her sharply. It seemed that the first lady in waiting caught her red handed. All the other ladies were now looking in princess' direction, giggling.

"Uh, no, no... Please go on." Yuuki blushed and hurriedly busied herself with embroidery. She heard Zero and Yori laughing in the distance and risked one last stick-out of the tongue at them.

* * *

The old wooden church door creaked loudly making everyone inside turn in their direction suddenly. Yagari cursed inwardly as he fought of the urge to put his hat back on his head. He intended to be a little more subtle than that. The hunter didn't expect any people to be here at this hour, but a few poor souls still sat here and there praying silently.

Yagari headed to the darkest corner of the church, his figure casting shadows on tall stone walls as he passed one of the torches. He sat down in the furthest empty row where the chance of someone overhearing was minimal. He clasped his hands trying to look like just another person that came here to pray. But since he was in the right place he might as well give it a try. There was still some time before the meeting anyway.

'Uh… hey God, in case you really are there, protect that stupid boy of mine, okay?' He started but felt incredibly idiotic and gave up. Some of the hunters believed in God, but Yagari wasn't one of them. He was just anxious to know if Zero was alright, if everything went smoothly. He had no news except for the rumors about the ex-human saving princess' life a few weeks ago. But since then, nothing. Maybe that was a good thing as that also meant that there were no news about any ex-humans being executed either. And his meeting with Zero was supposed to be in less than a week, so hopefully he'll find out soon enough.

Suddenly, a tall man sat down next to him.

"I was surprised you contacted me. Are you finally getting some sense into that thick head of yours?" The man started whispering.

"Well, isn't that just the pot calling the kettle black, Kaien?" Yagari snorted.

Cross shook his head not about to argue further. They had this discussion too many times. Instead, he just passed him the scroll. "Inside is all the information my sources managed to gather about the mysterious assassin. Not much, they were very thorough with covering their tracks, but at least we found out what order he belonged to. "

"The Order of the Black Wolves?" Yagari opened the scroll scanning it quickly. "But that's a vampire only order. That could mean..."

"A coup d'état? Yes, there is that possibility." Cross sighed. "Someone is definitely trying to stir up trouble. But apart from the fact, that only some wealthy vampire noble could have afforded to hire an assassin from the Black Wolves, we know very little. Not even who or how many of them are in this. But why are you interested in it, anyway? Why is it so important to you that you would risk contacting me after so many years?"

Yagari contemplated if he should tell the truth. He looked at the scroll, Cross must have gone to great lengths to get him this information. He owed him at least an honest answer." It's a mission. Zero and I were hired to kill the king. Mind you, it's paid very handsomely, but there seems to be other players in this game and I needed to know who else could be standing in our way."

"Are you crazy?" Cross cried out suddenly, completely forgetting that they were trying to be discreet for a moment. He looked around quickly, but except for a few stern looks and 'shhs' no one was really paying them any attention. "Do you realize what consequences this could have? Kuran is one of the few purebloods that are in support of the peace. In fact, his parents were the ones that enforced the idea of peace treaty that ended the war. Without Kaname, the balance between those who are supporting peace and those who aren't would be tipped off. The sympathizing noble families would all fall apart without their strong lead, and all those aspiring to have the tyranny back would suddenly start acting out freely, if they no longer have to fear the king's wrath for breaking the laws. This could only end in a civil war!"

Yagari frowned. The truth was, he didn't like the implications that it all could lead to war again. But what if there really is one? Wouldn't it be such a bad idea? It would be a great chance for humans to get rid of vampires and get their rightful places. Finally. "And that would be bad because? While the bloodsuckers are too busy fighting each other, it will be a great opportunity for humans to try to take them down for all. Sure vampires are powerful, but we have the power in numbers. This land might become a human kingdom again. First of many. Once we get enough power we could start to fight the bloodsuckers in other countries. You know, Kaien, you would have been the perfect candidate for the new human king, if only you remembered where your loyalties lie."

"I know exactly where my loyalties lie." Cross shook his head. And he thought that the possibility of coup d'état was bad enough. But a human rebellion on top of that? A certain recipe for disaster. It can't be a coincidence that both events were slowly escalating at the same time.

Cross knew that the offer to throw down the vampires must sound very tempting to hunters and humans, who were stripped of their rights and titles. It will all escalate in another war.

"Somehow I doubt the vampires would have a problem forgetting their differences for a while to unite against humans. They certainly didn't have one in the great blood war before. But if humans start rebellion just like that, seemingly unprovoked, even the most open human sympathizers among vampires might come to conclusion, that it might have been better to leave humanity enslaved after all. I can't let that happen."

"And maybe it would be only for better. Maybe we shouldn't have signed the peace at all. It only gave people false sense of security, when in reality we're just like the cattle released in large enough pen that we're no longer able to see its fences. If there is no pseudo peace blinding them, people will have no choice but fight." Yagari frowned. "If there really will be war, I know which side I will take. But what about you, Kaien? Will you stand with vampires then?"

"No, Toga. I'll stand with Kurans and their idea of peace... Please, you have to understand that this peace might be the first and only chance for vampires and humans to become equal one day. But if you kill its main supporter, the war will soon be the only option left and it would bring only destruction, ruining all hope for any peaceful coexistence. You have to call Zero off, you're doing terrible mistake!" Cross tried to convince his friend.

He had to do something about this. He had to stop this madness before it turns out in bloodshed. Cross headed for the exit but Yagari caught his arm, stopping him. "Kaien, you still have time to join the right side."

"I _am_ on the right side. Could the same be said about you?" Cross shook his hold off but didn't walk away immediately. "Please Toga, promise me that you'll think about what I just said. That you'll at least consider stopping this foolish mission."

* * *

Zero's first days of work went by pretty quickly. Some were more entertaining than the others, when the king would become fed up enough with politics and went hunting or horse riding instead. Sometimes taking Zero with him.

But most of the time he was incredibly busy, spending whole nights in meetings or doing paperwork. It was real relief when the morning came in those times. When Kaname finally allowed himself to relax and spent his time in company of his most trusted nobles, usually Aido and Kain, playing chess or various card games, discussing various topics. Yuuki and Ruka would often join them, watching them play, chatting, or just doing embroidery quietly in the corner.

But today the king wanted to spend the morning alone in his personal chambers reading letters. Zero wondered why Kaname hadn't still released him from duty, as he had practically nothing left to do. He caught the pureblood looking in his direction a few times, as if contemplating something, but whenever he met Zero's questioning gaze Kaname would shook his head and got back to reading. The ex-human shrugged, maybe the pureblood just needed company.

For lack of anything else to do, Zero decided to browse through the bookshelves in the room. There was a huge library in the caste. Huge enough to contain everything that was ever written in this country, but in these bookshelves must be the king's most favorite books to have them close at hand like this. The hunter read the titles, there were mostly novels, some pamphlets and a few handbooks about strategy, hunting, or even sword fighting. The latest caught his attention and Zero asked if he could borrow one, making the king looking at him in surprise.

"Zero, you can read and write?" Kaname asked suddenly, his eyebrows rising at ex-humans affirmative nod. "Really? Where did you learn?"

"My parents taught me." Zero answered honestly. As a hunter he needed be good enough to be able to recite various hunter charms. Most of them were too complex to be remembered without some written note. Zero suddenly realized it might be a mistake to reveal this information. The ability to read wasn't very common between people outside the noble circles.

"Were they merchants, then?" Kaname looked more interested now, confirming the ex-human's fears.

"No." Zero groaned inwardly hoping that the pureblood would drop the questioning soon, but no such luck. If anything, Kaname was more intrigued now, when he noticed his reluctance to answer.

"Were your parents human nobles then?" Most of the human nobles lost their titles after the blood war, but it seemed some of them still held themselves pretty high amongst the townsfolk, teaching their children skills they were taught when they still were called dukes and barons.

Zero sighed. He had to come up with some believable explanation, before the king's questions become more dangerous.

"They were city guards." He said finally. The hunters had practically the same function as city guards now so it was not a complete lie. But it was far enough from truth to be safe. Zero's hopes that he satisfied pureblood's curiosity were quenched as another question followed soon enough.

"Did you want to become a city guard like your parents, when you were little?"

"Yes." Well not a city guard but hunter anyway. Zero wasn't sure where was this interrogation leading anymore. But he found out soon enough.

"So were you also taught in sword fighting?"

"Uh...yes?" Zero knew quite a lot about swordfight, as it was a standard part of hunter training.

"Interesting. We should have a match sometimes." Kaname seemed to finally get to the point, smirking.

* * *

**Thank you again for all your reviews!**

You are my source of encouragement whenever I find myself struggling with writing. ^^

.

A lot of you asked for more KxZ so I hope you enjoyed this chapter. ^^/

Sadly, no lemon yet, but we're getting there... hopefully soon enough.

.

**Esther Cain014** asked what the third tarot card was. I had to admit, I didn't notice that I forgot to mention it. The third card was: Lovers :3

So in case anyone's still wondering, the cards were drawn in following order: 1st King of Swords, 2nd Lovers, 3rd Tower

If there's anything you're interested or confused about, feel free to ask!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: The time has come**

Yuuki risked another look over the barricade of chopped wood she was currently hiding behind. She heard from Zero that he and her brother are going to have a sword fight and there was no way she would miss something like this. She told her chambermaids that she is too tired and wishes to sleep only to sneak out of her chamber the moment door closed behind them.

But was this really just a practice match? At first it looked like fun, when both Zero and Kaname tested each other slowly, carefully, in order to memorize the other one's movement patterns. But things turned out very seriously, very quickly. The fight transformed into series of blurred movements and frequent noise of clashing swords. It went on like this long enough and they both looked very tired but it seemed no one was about to give up any time soon. Surely, if someone was to see this, they would think the king was under attack.

But Yuuki wasn't about to interrupt them, because she witnessed something peculiar, the rare little smile on Kaname's face and the lively spark in his eyes. Her brother was enjoying himself like he didn't for quite a long time. It made her feel slightly at that moment she wasn't sure if it was because in all these years she wasn't able to make Kaname smile like that, or because she felt threatened that her brother was seizing her new friend. He and Yori were the only friends she felt she could trust. Her first ones in her whole life.

"Uhm…" she had to cover her mouth so no one will hear her squeak as Kaname suddenly charged nearly slitting Zero's throat with the sharp end of his sword. But the ex-human dodged skillfully, avoiding the blade by few centimeters, swirling his body around to hit pureblood's side with his elbow trying to hook one of his legs in order to bring the other vampire down. The hunter knew it was a risky move as it made him open for another pureblood's counterattack with his sword, but if he was quick enough he could make it.

But Kaname waited for the moment Zero would let his defenses down. He grabbed the ex-human's elbow using the momentum of his 'would be attack' to swing his body and pin him against the armory's wooden door, the blade held dangerously close to the ex-human's throat. Both of them stayed still for a moment breathing deeply.

"It seems I win" Kaname said finally with a self-assured grin. He assessed the boy in front of him.

"Are you sure about it?" Zero asked with a cockish grin.

In that moment Kaname noticed the cold feeling of blade pressed against his stomach. Sure, from this angle and without the momentum of the swing, the sword wouldn't kill him but it would definitely slice some of his vitals pretty badly and weaken him greatly. The pureblood smirked. The ex-human was good. Very, very good. Much better than any city guard training could ever offer. No, it was more like special royal forces kind of training. Or maybe the boy was just naturally talented fighter. Sure they didn't use any vampire powers but even without them, Kaname shouldn't have such a difficult time to defeat one ex-human. There was something strange about this boy and the pureblood knew he should trust what his instincts were telling him, but somehow he couldn't help but like this boy.

He wasn't afraid of Kaname. In spite of his low blood status Zero wasn't afraid to try to hit him while sparing, he wasn't afraid to say his opinion loud or even show hesitation about certain orders. Those qualities were rare to find and very dangerous to display at court. This rebel streak and any other sign of possible disobedience would be good enough excuse for any king to execute any low level vampire. Did that make Kaname weak? Or was he just bored and kept him close, so the boy can offer him quite a distraction with his fierce attitude?

"You're good." Kaname admitted before releasing the ex-human and stepping away. "And Yuuki, you can come out now, I know you're there."

"Hello." Yuuki stepped out with a sheepish smile, trying to smooth creases on her dress, which wasn't helping her case very much as her skirt was covered in mud all over from kneeling on her knees when she was trying to hide behind the barricade

"Look at you." Kaname stepped closer. "Is this the way princess should look like? You ruined your dress. Does lady Ruka even know you're here?"

But Kaname already knew the answer, even if Yuuki managed to not look so guiltily this time. He pinched her cheek teasingly, but with all the loving tenderness only the brother deeply caring for his sister could have. "You shouldn't do things like that. She must be worried sick right now."

Yuuki swatted at his hand defiantly. "She would be worried only because, if something were to happen to me, it would make her look bad in your eyes. And I don't want another ethics lesson. It's boring." She pouted childishly. Her dear brother still tended to treat her as a child and even though most of the time she tried to prove him she's all grown up now, she wasn't about to not use this to her advantage occasionally. Especially, if she needed his consent for something. "Do you think you can teach me sword fight instead?"

Kaname laughed. Oh, he knew this strategy quite well. "No, Yuuki. You're lady of a court now. You should learn embroidery, ethics, music or painting. Fighting isn't for a lady."

"But I'm strong I can do that." She insisted.

"I know you are." Kaname caressed the same cheek he pinched moment ago. "But you shouldn't need to. I will protect you. Always."

Yuuki looked at her feet dejectedly. They had similar disputations numerous times. But she still didn't know how to convince her brother, that she didn't want to be protected. On the contrary, she wanted to be able to protect him.

But before she could muster any kind of argument, Seiren appeared suddenly in front of them. She looked serious. Well, more serious than her usual stoic face showed and Kaname tensed.

"Forgive me, your majesty, for interrupting but there are some… urgent matters that call for your attention."

Kaname nodded. Seiren didn't want to speak in front of Yuuki, meaning it wasn't anything pleasant. "I understand. I'll go with you right away. Zero, please escort Yuuki to her chambers."

"And Yuuki, don't let anyone see you in those dirty clothes. You're princess, you should behave like one." With those last words he took off in castle's direction. His cheerful mood gone completely replaced with cold mask of the king.

Zero looked from where Kaname disappeared to where Yuuki stood looking quite down. He might regret it but… "You know, I can teach you some basics if you want."

"Really?" Yuuki's bad mood was forgotten in an instant. She looked at Zero as if he announced that Christmas Eve is tomorrow.

"Yes, but first you really should change those clothes, to something more practical." He looked at her. Even if it weren't covered in mud, dress is a very poor choice of clothing for practicing a sword fight.

"No problem" She grinned and before Zero could stop her she tore her skirt off. It was still quite long enough to be somehow decent, but for a lady to show so much of her legs was terribly inappropriate.

"Uh, okay then." Now Zero really hoped no one would walk on them. That would be a very hard to explain. The princess' state or more like lack of clothes and him standing there with a sword. They were well hidden here, behind the armory, but you never know when one of the guards might wander here to hide away from his duty.

Zero looked around and sighed. "Okay, take this sword. This one should be light enough." He handed her the smallest he found on the nearby weapon stand. "First I'll show you basic defensive postures."

* * *

"No, no! Don't grip it in both hands; try to hold it only with your right. This way you're more free to move." Zero instructed as he blocked easily another of her attacks. Yuuki already mastered some of the basic techniques and she was a quick learner but still had quite a long journey to become decent enough swordsman.

Zero looked at the brightening sky. They must have practiced at least for two hours. They should really go back to castle before someone notices the princess is still missing and call a search party or something.

"Ok, enough for today." He said finally, knocking the sword from Yuuki's hand for the last time. He picked it up quickly ignoring her protests. She was truly serious about this whole sword fight thing. It made her very good student, but she really shouldn't forget she had certain commitments as a princess, too.

"Allow me to escort you to your castle, my lady." Zero said mockingly as he quickly returned both their swords to weapon stand and offered his arm to her.

Yuuki laughed and punched his shoulder for this little jibe. If someone were to see her in those dirty torn clothes and disheveled hair they would mistake her for some beggar at best.

That was also the reason it took them so long to get back to the castle. They managed most of the journey without being noticed by living soul, but at last turn they almost ran into Seiren, who was standing just behind the corner, leading to royal chambers. She looked grim but not surprised at all. Zero suspected she knew all this time were they were. Maybe that's why no one came looking for Yuuki. If she knew, there was no doubt Kaname wouldn't know either.

"Your grace, allow me to escort you to your chambers." The silver haired vampiress offered, earning a few giggles form Yuuki as she recalled Zero's almost exact words from earlier. But Seiren didn't give any inclination she noticed, instead she turned to Zero. "The king is in royal offices with an important guest. Go to kitchen and bring them some refreshments. Quickly please."

As Zero neared the royal study, he stopped for a brief moment in front of the door listening. The guards threw him a few strange looks but didn't react otherwise, already used to his presence as king's manservant.

"Greetings, my lord." The first voice unmistakably Aido's.

"Ichijou. It's rare that you would grace us with your presence so soon after the last meeting." Of course, the second voice belonged to Kaname. "To whom I owe the honor to be visited by the head of the council himself?"

"Nice to see you, too. Your majesty." The stranger returned mockingly. "As your spies undoubtedly informed you already, there are some state matters that need to be addressed and cannot be staled any longer. " This third voice Zero didn't know. But it sounded so serious and mighty, the owner must be either very important or think of himself very highly to be that confident in the presence of the king himself.

Zero let himself in quietly, trying to be as unobtrusive as possible. It wasn't that hard as the occupants of the room all but ignored him. He put the tray with refreshments in front of them and took a stand in the corner. Finally, he was able to have a good view of the visitor. He had short blond hair and was that an earring he had in his ear? His clothes and cane seemed quite expensive not to mention quite extravagant, too. From his demeanor it was obvious he thought himself above the king and from the frown on Kaname's face it was obvious his authority was high enough to actually get away with it.

"My king, I just wanted to make sure this scroll gets into the right hands." Ichijou took out a large scroll from inside of his coat and handed it to Kaname importantly, making sure all the important seals were clearly visible.

"What is it?" The pureblood took the document distrustfully as if the surface itself might be covered in poison. Considering the person handing it to him, he wouldn't be very surprised.

"It's a petition." The other vampire replied, prolonging the moment intentionally, enjoying every minute of this. He wanted to deliver this document himself to see the look on the king's face when he finds out.

"Petition? For what?" Kaname's frown deepened. He knew the moment he found out who his guest was that it meant nothing good. He opened it but before he could read the first sentence Ichijou started talking again, not about to be robbed of his joy from telling the pureblood the news himself.

"This petition's purpose is to make sure that the marriage between Takuma, my grandson, and princess Yuuki does happen." He replied making a short pause to let it sink in. "As you can see, all the important council members are signed under it. I told them there is no need to hurry, that princess Yuuki consented to the wedding herself, if not officially yet, but alas they were quite persistent. But of course, you must understand their concerns. If, God forbid, something were to happen to you, there would be no clear candidate to seize the throne. The kingdom would descent into chaos. Someone needs to make sure this country doesn't fall apart." There, _this_ was the moment for which Ichijou ordered his reinsman to drive the carriage so fast he nearly wore out horses to death. He almost held his breath in anticipation of what the king's reaction would be. But he had to give it to the pureblood. Kaname showed almost none. Almost. Except his knuckles were now white from how tightly he gripped the arms of his chair and Ichijou could swear he could hear glass cracking somewhere behind him. Disappointing, but that will have to do.

Aido fidgeted uncomfortably. He was standing by king's side quietly so far, but now he had to bite his lips till they almost bleed to keep from yelling something very rude and inappropriate. As king's advisor he had to remain professional, but how dare he!

There were a few minutes of silence as Ichijou enjoyed the moment a little longer, before continuing. "Too bad your short marriage ended without any legal descendants. We wouldn't have to deal with it and burden poor Yuuki with such responsibilities." He said with faked concern and sincerity.

"Now that I did what I came for, I must excuse myself. I would love to stay and chat a little longer, but duty calls. Your majesty." The older vampire bowed as a form of saying goodbye before exiting the room with a satisfied smile on his face, not even waiting for the king to give him leave.

No one broke the silence for a few more moments. Kaname stayed emotionless and unmoving as if he had frozen completely and Aido fidgeted more and more until he couldn't hold it anymore.

"He can't mean it! It's obviously all part of Ichiou's hidden agenda, yet the council lets him do as he pleases, even supports him!" The blonde vampire burst out finally. "Your majesty, we have to do something!"

But Kaname didn't answer. He just picked up the bottle of wine from the refreshments tray, downed half of it, before standing up and going to look out of the window. Jaw tensed in silent rage.

Aido got his hint. "I will try to find some way around it, your majesty. Even if it means I have to read every goddam law book in this kingdom." He stated finally, before leaving the room.

Yes, Kaname was furious. He thought he still had some ways to make sure this wedding doesn't happen, but it seems Ichijou wasn't about to give his plans chance. This was exactly why he sent Yuuki all those years ago to live with Cross. He wanted to protect her from this. Now, if she were to marry Takuma and give birth to son, by law Kaname would have to abdicate and she will become the queen and Takuma the new king. No doubt, that was one of the reasons why Ichijou was so eager for this marriage to happen. Kaname would lose his power and Ichijou's would become the new royal lineage. And Yuuki would be their pretty little puppet.

"Damn it all to hell!" Kaname yelled out suddenly, throwing the bottle of wine across the room in anger. The glass broke and a huge red stain now decorated the golden tapestry. But the pureblood didn't even turn around to check if something of value had been wrecked. He returned to window, staying still and unmoving, obviously trying to compose himself.

After a while Zero cleared his throat, reminding the other vampire that he was still in the room. He witnessed the whole ordeal and didn't understand how Kaname can let it go without fight like that. "Forgive me for what I am about to say, but this is bullshit. You're the king, why don't you just do as you want? Screw the council and their petitions."

"Who are you to give me advice, you brat?" Kaname rounded on Zero now, eyes glowing red in silent warning. He had a sudden urge to break something or someone. He started to move slowly gracefully towards Zero, like a predator nearing his prey.

The ex-human tensed but stayed where he was. He wondered shortly if he should have given the king more time to calm down, before speaking, but the dice has been cast and he might as well continue. "You allowed me to act freely in your presence, so I did."

Well, this made Kaname stop, eyebrows rising shortly in surprise.

"Hmph… I supposed I did." He admitted quietly, eyes turning back to their dark color as he visibly composed himself. It wasn't Zreo's fault; there was no reason to vent his frustrations on him. Allowed him to act freely, huh? The pureblood remembered his earlier thoughts about Zero from when they had a sword match. A little sad smile appeared on his weary face.

"That's the problem. Sometimes I have a feeling that as the king I have hands tied more than any other persons' in this damn kingdom. There's not much I can do without the council consent."

Kaname took another bottle of wine from tray, but this time he didn't throw it anywhere pouring two glasses instead. He gulped one in an instant and handed the other to Zero, gesturing him to sit on one of nearby armchairs.

The ex-human hesitated for a moment. He wasn't supposed to drink or eat from the same source as the king, but since it was king himself who offered. Moreover, Kaname looked like he could use someone to drink with right now. He had never before tasted a wine before. Beer he knew quite well, but wine was too expensive. He doubted they even sell it in normal pubs. Zero took a wine and sipped a little. It was slightly bitter, but he could start to understand why it was such a popular drink between higher classes.

Kaname already drank nearly one whole bottle and he started to seem slightly drunk now. "That's politics for you. I guess I could always become tyrant and rule alone. Don't you think that would solve a lot of my problems?" The pureblood asked but didn't give Zero any chance to answer before continuing. It was obvious he needed someone to just listen, rather than offer advice.

"My parents created this peace, they believed in it. They established the council so all those bloodthirsty aristocrats could feel appeased that they have power. Yes, they stopped long period of civil wars, but sometimes it makes me wonder if it was a right thing to do. But I can't imagine doing it any different way. If I became the tyrant, there would be a rebellion and it could only end in two ways. Either they kill me or I kill them and all the male descendants in their families to prevent possible retribution. But what would Yuuki say to that kind of world, the one born on so much bloodshed?"

The pureblood continued with his monologue for quite a long time. Zero listened quietly, offering some opinion here and there but mostly stayed silent. By the third glass the ex-human too was becoming slightly drunk. He started to feel really comfortable sitting here in cosy armchair, listening to Kaname's voice and sound of crackling wood in fireplace. He could almost feel like falling asleep…

The pureblood looked to his right when Zero stayed too quiet for a little too long. He looked at his companion noticing he already dozed off. Kaname contemplated if he should leave him here or carry him to nearest guest room. But he didn't feel like wandering around the castle carrying an ex-human nor did he think Zero would appreciate it.

Instead, Kaname bended down and examined the sleeping face in front of him. The usual frown the ex-human had on his face was gone completely. Looking at him now, the pureblood could see some similarities with her. And those silver hair… He reached out them slightly. The feeling was the same and he found himself wondering what it would feel like to touch that cheek, to taste those lips.

The pureblood straightened quickly. Did he just….? This was unacceptable, no he definitely did not.

In his confused an half drunk state he didn't even notice a little shadow as someone stood behind the slightly opened door, seeing the whole scene before disappearing quickly.

* * *

Zero opened one eye only to close it quickly as sharp light hit him. So it was daylight still, good. At least he wasn't late for his manservant duties. When he found enough strength to use eyes for the second time, he finally looked around only to find out that he was still in the office. Someone carried him to the canapé in the corner and put a blanket over him.

Since he had time, he decided to head to his room first to clean himself up before reporting for duty.

When he finally met with the king, there was no talk about the yesterday night. He had just had been instructed about tonight's duties and that was it. Zero felt a little disappointed and wondered why. He shook his head. It wasn't like it was something special. Kaname just needed a sympathetic ear and Zero landed him one. That's all it was.

The day had been quite busy, it seemed that the whole castle started to make preparations for engagement ceremony for Yuuki. For whole night Zero practically ran from one side to the other delivering documents and messages and at the end feeling rightfully exhausted. But he wasn't going to rest yet as today was the day he was supposed to meet Yagari.

So before noon, when most of vampires were deep asleep, the ex-human sneaked out of servants' building. He took the route leading through the gardens where he hadn't such a high chance to run into the overly curious guards. As he wasn't expecting to see anyone here he nearly jumpet out of his skin as a familiar voice stopped him suddenly.

"Zero? What are you doing here?" It was Yuuki. She sat on the edge of a fountain in what appeared to be her night gown. Was she really a pureblood vampire sitting here in direct sunlight looking so comfortable?

"Uh, nothing. Just going for a stroll." The ex-human answered quickly, trying not to look too guiltily for lying to her.

"Oh, ok then. Have a nice walk."

Well, this made Zero stop. Was that it? Just okay? Normally, she would insist for Zero to join her or she would join him, but this wasn't like Yuuki at all. He knew he didn't have time, but he just couldn't leave her like this

"Yuuki are you feeling sick?"

"Huh, no. Why?" Now she looked confused, which didn't add her case much.

"Well, usually you're a little more cheerful, you know?" Against his better judgment he turned around and sat down next to the princess. "Yuuki what's wrong? You can tell me."

"It's about the wedding."

"You don't want to marry that Takuma guy?"

"Yes. No! That's not the problem. I just. I don't know…" She stopped and blushed suddenly.

Now, Zero felt really confused. "If I can help you with something just tell me."

"You?" She looked at Zero and blushed even more. "No, no… this is a very bad idea." Yuuki shook her head vehemently and started pushing Zero away from the garden quickly. "Just go for your walk Zero. This is something I need… uh, I need to think for myself."

"Okay, okay. But if you need someone to talk, you know where to find me, okay?" The ex-human said before heading away. He shrugged. Must be some women troubles. Yagari always warned him to be careful around the opposite sex whenever certain time of month came.

"Zero?" Yuuki called out after him. And he wondered if she changed her mind already.

"Will you be there, on my engagement ceremony?" The princess asked hesitantly.

"Of course, if you want me to."

Yuuki just smiled in reply and waved him goodbye.

* * *

Yagari stood under the old willow tree near road between the castle and the city, where he was supposed to meet Zero. He looked at the cloth package in his hands. Thinking. He didn't want to admit it but Kaien's words still played in his head. What if he was right? What if they were about to cause more bloodshed? He knew that with king's death, the civil war will erupt and all nobles will start to fight between themselves for power once again, but that was partly the headhunter's plan, to use all this chaos to attack, overthrow everyone so the humans could become rulers once again.

Sure, there were times when he was still young and naïve, when he could believe the same ideals as Cross. But it all changed after Shizuka. When he saw the destruction she caused, he understood there and then how dangerous these creatures can be. They were abominations that shouldn't exist. For them humans were just food, their little pawns to be played with until they got bored and decided to get rid of their toys in most horrifying ways. Zero didn't know, because he was unconscious most of the time but it wasn't just his family that died that night. The whole village has been leveled to the ground that night. Just on a whim of one pureblood woman.

"Master, are you alright?" The hunter was so lost in thought that he didn't even notice Zero's arrival.

Yagari grunted not happy to be caught unaware. He looked over the boy from head to toes before patting his head fiercely, almost smiling from relief as he confirmed with his own eyes that the boy alright, even looking better than ever.

"That should be my question, boy. How's it going?" The hunter grunted instead of greetings.

Zero smiled. It was month since they saw each other and he was really glad to see his master was alright. He might deny it however he wanted but the truth was, Yagari was like a father to him.

"I managed to get close to the king. I am now working as his ma-… err, servant. So, you can say everything went better than expected. What are our next orders?"

Yagari frowned and looked back at the package in his hand, contemplating for a moment. Was this really a mistake? He frowned.

Zero started to feel a little concerned about his master's hesitation and lack of reply. But before he could ask, Yagari's gaze steeled in determination.

"Yes." The older hunter said, handing him small cloth package.

Zero took it and opened it carefully, revealing a silver dagger. It was a beautiful, graceful weapon. Zero traced with his thumb the patterns engraved on its blade. Bloody rose. It was his father's. In old hunter families the weapons were handed down from generation to generation. For Yagari to give it to him now. It could only mean that he considered Zero a true hunter now. Zero had to admit but he nearly felt like crying, he wanted to say thank you, but the words refused to come out of his mouth.

Yagari patted his shoulder.

"It's time… to kill the king."

* * *

A/N:

Don't worry this story is nowhere near the end. A lot has yet to happen...  
Once again, **thank you** for all your reviews they give mi strength when writer's block appears.

Let me know what you thought of the chapter/story. It will make me happy ^^/


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I am sorry for such a delayed update.

As an apology, I give you the longest chapter so far. It's actually a two times longer than most of the other chapters. (And my personal record, just sayin'.)

Thank you for all your reviews, comments and encouragement! They are much appreciated.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 8: Both sides of justice**

_Damn it_. Zero cursed as he knocked over a big flask of ink for the second time that day. This time however, he actually managed to catch it, before it could destroy any of important documents. He was currently trying to sort them out to those that required the king's immediate attention from those that can be postponed for a few more days.

Don't get him wrong, Zero preferred this kind of work over serving or cleaning or other mundane task he was usually saddled with, but the hunter was finding it hard to concentrate. Thus he was constantly tipping things over or looking for something he put away only a second ago. Zero was sure the pureblood must have noticed it too, because he could almost physically feel someone's eyes on himself and sure enough when he looked up, his gaze met the king's. Zero almost expected some reprimand but luckily Kaname seemed to be too engaged in discussion to offer any at the moment.

"So what you're saying is that no one's really heard from our messengers?" The king looked up at the sudden noise, but his attention stayed fully focused on his discussion with the captain of the royal guards. "What about Rima and Shiki?"

Kain shifted on his feet, his armor jingling from the movement. He wasn't very happy to be the one delivering bad news. "There is no contact from them either." He shook his head.

"This is not a good sign. Not good at all." Kaname leaned back in his chair, clasping his hands together, thinking. His gaze met Zero's again for a brief moment. "I was hoping it won't come to this."

Zero realized he was caught staring and quickly ducked his head. He should stop eavesdropping and turn back to his own work. This wasn't his concern anyway. He was only the king's manservant or at least he pretended to be one. And his head was full enough with his own problems to be concerned about any state matters right now. The dagger hidden in his boot reminded him of the decision he has to make very soon but even after the whole day thinking about it, he still wasn't able to come to any decision yet. Zero knew he should just do what he came here for in the first place, for what he was paid for - to kill the king. He went over Yagari's plan in his head numerous times already. They weren't that crazy to actually try to attack the pureblood head on. That would be suicide. No, Zero had memorized a recipe that the older hunter taught him at their last meeting. This poison should be able to sedate even the most powerful vampire. Zero just had to wait for the right moment when the pureblood will lower his guard and slip him some. The dagger will do the rest.

The plan was clear enough, yet for some reason the ex-human started to second guess himself. It just didn't feel right. Somehow he found himself really reluctant to go with it. When Zero accepted the job any dead pureblood was good pureblood for him, but right now he couldn't help but wonder. He met Kaname personally. He got to know what kind of person he really was. Can he still kill him just like that? Because right now for Zero it didn't feel like just another mission, no, it felt much closer to murder; betrayal of pureblood's trust. Wouldn't it make Zero just as bad as Shizuka then?

"Zero? ... Zero!" Someone was calling his name.

"Huh," the ex-human realized that he completely spaced out. He must have been staring absent-mindedly for some time, because when he looked over to where Kaname was, he noticed that the captain of the guards already left and the pureblood was in the middle of his own paperwork.

Zero shook his head to clear it quickly from all those troubling thoughts. There was still some time to think about it, the deadline being Yuuki's wedding. At least that's what his and Yagari's orders sounded like. His 'employer' probably wanted the king killed before the princess could become the rightful queen. No doubt, their plan was to get rid of any pureblood that would be able to seize the throne in order to appoint whoever they wanted. Yes, there was still time.

He should really try to act more normal, before the pureblood suspects there's something more serious behind his unusual behavior and starts questioning him to death about it. What was the question again?

"I was asking if you happened to see the financial draft the treasurer left here yesterday. It should be somewhere around on your table. That is, if you didn't manage to destroy it already." The pureblood couldn't help but jibe. "If I didn't know better I would get you arrested for hidden sabotage."

"Uh, yeah I saw it somewhere here." Zero looked through the small column of documents until he found the right one and handed it to the pureblood. But before he could retreat back into his corner the other vampire caught his arm quickly.

"Are you alright, Zero? You seem awfully _contra productive_ today." Kaname's teasing look turned more serious as Zero continued to look restless. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, really." Zero tried to tug his hand free, but of course the pureblood wouldn't let him go so easily. Kaname raised his eyebrows, unconvinced. Well, he better come up with something. "It's just…" he tried to come up with some good excuse quickly.

Fortunately, the ex-human was saved by one of the chambermaids that walked in at that moment announcing the dinner is ready to be served if the lord wishes so. Unfortunately, Kaname still didn't let go of his hand, not even caring if it might cause some weird rumors. The pureblood just thanked the maid instead, eyes never leaving Zero.

"Perhaps you could join me for dinner, Zero?" It might have been worded like an offer, but from pureblood's tone it was clear he wasn't really asking. He watched the ex-human closely, almost challenging him to say no.

"Uhm, I'm not really hungry." Naturally, Zero would be the one to take him up on the challenge, making Kaname smile. The ex-human was itching to be left alone to continue with his brooding. But of course, the king wouldn't let him go that easily.

"Oh, that's ok." Kaname didn't let it discourage him. "You don't have to eat. I'm just craving some company."

"Oh?" The ex-human raised his eyebrows. "I sincerely doubt that the king himself could ever suffer from shortage of potential dining companions." Zero pointed out ironically. He was sure that some people would be willing to sell even their own children if it would grant them the privilege to dine with the king himself.

"Ah, perhaps I expressed myself poorly. Let me word it differently then. I don't want just _some_ company, I want _your _company." Kaname said with all smugness, watching ex-human's face closely.

Zero rolled his eyes, willing himself not to blush. Really, if the fact that his hand was still being held by the pureblood wasn't enough, this kind of talk would definitely cause some gossip. And Zero really didn't need any unnecessary attention at the moment. He looked over to the maid who was now fidgeting uncomfortably. _Great_.

But contrary to what the ex-human thought, the poor girl was nervous because of a completely different matter. "Forgive me your majesty, lady Ruka told me to remind you, that you promised to dine together today." She bowed deeply, apologizing in advance that she even dared to suggest anything to the king himself. But if she didn't follow her mistress' order she was quite afraid that the pureblood's wrath would be the least of her worries. Lady Ruka could be downright ruthless if it involved any obstacles that could jeopardize the opportunity to spend time with Kaname Kuran.

Kaname let go of the ex-human's hand, contemplating for a while what the girl said. He had to admit he completely forgot about their little _date_. He was quite busy, the day Ruka invited him, and he nodded, only half listening. But a promise to the lady is the one that should be kept, he decided.

"All right then." He glanced at the ex-human who seemed ready to use this to his advantage. But Kaname wasn't about to let him escape that easily. So before Zero even got the chance to voice out 'See, no need for me being there then' the pureblood announced:

"Well then, as they say, the more the merrier."

* * *

"NO, what are you doing! Do you want to tear all my hairs out?" Ruka scolded the maid, tearing the hairbrush from her hands. Seriously, that girl was useless, where was her main attendant when she needed her? "You're useless. Get out!"

"And call Risa,"she shouted behind the girl's retreating back. Ruka quickly checked the damage in the mirror, trying to style her long wavy hair herself. Today, she needed to look perfect, but it seemed as if fate itself was against her. First her favorite dress was missing two bows and needed to be repaired quickly. And now Risa, her main maid, was nowhere to be found. How was she supposed to look perfect under these circumstances?

"You know if you keep making them cry like that, you'll have no chambermaids left," a voice came from behind her. Ruka sighed. Of course, then there was _that_ little annoyance.

"Hanabusa, what are you doing here in my room again?" She glanced over her shoulder to where the other vampire sat sprawled on the sofa with a large tome in his lap.

"Borrowing one of your books, my sweet cousin," Aido replied absentmindedly, his eyes never leaving the page in front of him. "I'm ashamed to admit this, but you have much better collection of law books than I do." The young vampire said somehow grudgingly.

While he might be the genius of science, he knew that as far as a social studies were concerned, Ruka was far better than him. Not that he would ever voice it out aloud, but it made him wonder sometimes, why she refused her parents' offer to send her to study. Then again, maybe she did find a life in a castle more exciting than secluded one in school for noble ladies.

"Well then borrow it and go and stop bothering me. I don't have time for you right now." She dismissed the other vampire quickly, turning back to the mirror. She loved her cousin, but if he came just to discuss some philosophical problem again, she will throw him out of the room without mercy.

"I love you too, cousin." Aido didn't let her unpleasant attitude get to him. He knew that when Ruka got into one of her moods the best way was to wait it out and try not to provoke her unnecessarily, but something in her tone made him look up. "And what makes_ you_ so busy?"

"Nothing less than a dinner with our majesty the king," Ruka announced grandly. She stopped powdering her nose for a minute to watch more closely the other's expression in the mirror. She knew that Aido adored the pureblood almost as much as she did and part of her wanted to make him feel envious. "Just the two of us," she added.

"Wha?" As predicted, the other vampire straightened immediately, making the thick book fall from his lap. He was about to say something when he noticed her triumphant expression. "Hmph." There is no way he will give her the satisfaction of witnessing his jealous reaction. He crossed his arms defensively.

"I see, you'd like to try your chances, but isn't Kaname-sama officially still in mourning period?" Aido mused.

"Anyway, I think you should hurry up before that ex-human steals him from you." He wanted to pay her back but that might have been a mistake for Ruka was on him in a second.

"What do you mean! Do you know something!" She suddenly grabbed his shoulders to make him look right at her and to prevent any possible attempts for escape. Her hand was itching to clutch his collar and shake him hard for a good measure. But that would be very unladylike from her. She was no longer a child; she has to watch her manners.

The young noble squrimed. It seemed he stirred up a hornet's nest. "Nothing really, just some silly rumors, you know how maids can be." He learned long ago not to trust whatever servants whispered behind their backs. Sure, it could prove to be quite a good source of information sometimes, but mostly it was just a pile of twisted half-truths and false accusations nothing more. "They say that the king Kaname spends a lot of time with him and acts unusually _relaxed_ in his presence. It's clear he quite favors him… But I'm sure it's nothing, really." If it wasn't, Aido himself would have quite a problem with that filthy peasant.

"Of course it's nothing. Kaname-sama would never lower himself like that." Ruka assured more for her own benefit than her cousin's.

Aido found himself free again. He pretended to clean the dust of his clothes before picking up the fallen tome. "Geez, you should really check your temper, cousin."

Ruka ignored him and returned back to her vanity table, where she resumed powdering her nose. A picture of perfect calmness. But inwardly, her head was spinning with a million thoughts. That silver haired low blood. She knew he was trouble the moment she first saw him, but whatever it was she won't allow it.

* * *

Zero draped his cape more tightly to protect himself from the cold wind. He frowned remembering the events of the last hour. The dinner was nothing short of disaster. Well, for Zero at least. The hunter realized what a mistake was trying to excuse himself by telling the pureblood that he wasn't hungry. The truth was Zero _was_ hungry. He was so busy thinking about everything that he even forgot to eat his lunch that day. But there was no way he would have gone back on his words. And he was sure Kaname was aware of that little fact anyway. The other vampire was throwing amused looks in Zero's direction during the whole dinner, waiting for him to admit it while, Zero quietly willed his stomach not to growl loudly. No doubt, it was the ex-human's punishment for trying to be so evasive. But the hunter wasn't about to give him that satisfaction. So he just sat in the corner quietly, trying to be ignored, which wasn't very easy as Kaname tried to drag him into the conversation whenever it was possible.

It also didn't help that lady Ruka was sending him almost deadly glares the whole time. Well, whenever she wasn't busy swatting her long eyelashes at the king. It was obvious she thought of Zero as an intruder in her little private rendezvous with her dream prince err, king. Her glare turned almost deathly as it became obvious that the king was more interested in conversing with his ex-human servant than her.

But Zero had to admit one thing. Kaname was a real gentleman, when he wanted to be, even kissing lady Ruka's hand when they met. It was quite a contrast from when he was alone with Zero, constantly teasing the ex-human. Or even greater contrast from Zero's first days in the castle, when he was surrounded by pureblood's dangerous aura as he interrogated the ex-human on their first meeting.

When Zero watched Kaname acting all charming and gentleman-like he could understand why every noble lady in vicinity dreamed of becoming his queen. Even peasant girls down in the town got all glazy eyed whenever they started talking about king Kaname and how nice it would be to see him in person even for a second.

As the dinner neared its end and after Kaname went off to escort lady Ruka to her quarters, Zero was more than glad to finally be able to head back to his own room. But a servant stopped him on his way. The boy handed him small note, bowed and disappeared quickly.

'_Meet me at northern gardens. Wear something casual._'

That's about all that was written in it. No signature. Even if there was one, this method of sending messages was quite secure enough as most of the serving staff couldn't write or read anyway. At first Zero was really tempted to just ignore the note and go to sleep. It was early hours of the morning and he had quite a long day, eh, night behind him. But in the end, the curiosity got better out of him and so here he was, hidden in the darkest corner of the garden, shivering from cold, because it was still too early for the sun to even raise up.

The sudden rustling of the leaves made Zero turn quickly, expecting to meet the mysterious sender. He was left staring at bright eyes of small feline animal. The cat stared back at him with equally surprised expression. After a while, she must have decided that Zero posed no threat to her as she ran up to him happily, sniffing him before she started rubbing against his leg.

"Hey little one, you scared me there for a second." Zero chuckled silently, as he stroked the feline's head. The cat purred loudly in response.

"I see that you're making friends already." The familiar voice sounded from somewhere behind him. The hunter recognized him in an instant. He should have known. Who else would have written him that note? Zero returned to petting his little friend planning to ignore the newcomer, but the cat had a different idea. She hissed loudly in warning before running away. The ex-human sighed, turning resignedly.

"Oh, it's you." He greeted the pureblood coldly. He was still peeved about that little torture during dinner. This note better not be just another way to tease the ex-human, because he sure as hell was in no mood for this. "What was so important that we couldn't do-" but the ex-human never got to finish, because the moment he finally got a good look at the other vampire he suddenly forgot what he was saying and he had to make a double take on the pureblood's appearance. "Why are you dressed like that?"

"What? Not good? I tried to disguise myself for our trip to city. Is it working? " Kaname asked as he noticed Zero's bewildered expression.

"No, you look good." Zero shook his head. _Very good_, he added to himself. Those leather trousers and tunic fitted the pureblood perfectly, not to mention that dark cape. But it also made him look strangely young. No longer stood before Zero the proud and mighty king, no, just a young boy remained. Well, to be more precise, a young noble, because even if Kaname wore the commoner clothes, he wasn't able to mask the bearing and aura of someone of higher blood quite completely. But that was okay. No one would find it suspicious. The pureblood now looked more like a son of some rich higher class townsman or nobleman. Zero always hated those types, as they acted like they owned the whole city, only because they were lucky to be born to wealthy family. Needless to say, that the ex-human got himself in strife with them quite too often. "Wait, what did you just say? What trip?" Zero remembered suddenly.

"I am tired with all that paperwork and preparations. These walls," Kaname spread his arms pointing towards the castle, "are starting to feel rather suffocating. I just thought that I could use some time outside." The pureblood explained simply. "We both could." He glanced at Zero meaningfully, implying that his endless questions about the ex-human's strange behavior might not be over yet. But not now, now they were going to have some fun. "Follow me."

Kaname led them further through the garden, towards the northern wall. They followed the wall further ahead until they got to the part where vegetation started to completely overgrow it. The pureblood searched the bushes for a while until he found the right place. Satisfied, he moved a few branches out of the way, revealing small crawlway. "Here it is," he grinned at Zero.

Zero looked at the passage suspiciously, contemplating how uncomfortable it will be to crawl through it. "Isn't this Yuuki's secret tunnel? Didn't you get it buried?"

"Not exactly. As far as everyone else is concerned it no longer exists, but I figured it could still have its uses." The pureblood shrugged. Only he and Seiren knew about it. To have an escape route that even personal royal guards didn't knew about could prove to be very useful in case of the highest emergency. The truth was it had been always there, Kaname just didn't think that Yuuki would find it so easily. _Clever girl_, but he wouldn't expect anything less from her. She was a Kuran after all.

"After you," Kaname bowed to the ex-human, mocking good manners as if Zero was the noble here.

Zero just raised one eyebrow, but didn't comment. They were back to teasing it seemed. He kind of missed the 'prince charming act' he witnessed earlier during dinner, but this was nice, too. He realized he might be one of a very few people who had the privilege to see this playful side of the king. It was kind of nice. Once again, it made him almost feel like they were friends.

* * *

Maria fidgeted trying to find more comfortable position. She was tired and her whole body hurt from the constant shaking of the carriage. This journey turned out to be a rather long one. If she had known it would take so long, she would've prepared better. But they didn't tell her where she was going; only that it was an order from someone very important. As soon as Maria's usually very overprotective parents heard who was asking for their little girl's presence, illness or not, they sent her packing without any further explanation whatsoever.

But it was no use complaining about it now. She sighed and resumed looking out the small window. The land was covered by thicker and thicker layer of snow and she could see the outline of high mountains on the horizon. They must be far in northern lands already. Maria had never been so far from home. Because of her sickness, her parents almost never allowed her to even leave their mansion. Maria leaned closer, her face almost touching the glass. This was kind of exciting… she wanted to see more of the foreign landscapes.

"We're almost there," a young voice reminded her she was not alone in the carriage. Maria quickly corrected her posture and risked a quick glance at the young man sitting across from her. She didn't know what to say to his announcement, so she settled for a nod. But it didn't matter, as the man wasn't even looking at her, his attention was currently focused on the book he was reading. So she used this little chance to have a better look at him. He had a beautiful silver hair. They were quite long and tied in a knot behind his head, but a few strands have escaped almost covering his silver eyes.

Unlike their coachman, this man wasn't a vampire, yet there was something vampire-like about him. Could he be a vampire hunter? Maria swallowed almost panicking. Have her parents finally decided to get rid of their useless sickly child? Was that why they refused to say where she was going? No, she shook her head, not possible. Daddy and mommy loved her and would never do something like that. She slapped herself to get rid of such silly thoughts.

Now, that finally brought the other occupant's attention on her. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow inquisitively. Maria blushed deep red. Oh, great, Maria was sure the boy must now think she was mentally ill or something.

"Uhm, I'm Maria Kurenai." She said nervously in a desperate attempt to salvage the situation. Maybe if she showed him she is able to hold a conversation, he wouldn't think of her as some crazy person, right?

"I know," was the man's only answer, before his gaze returned back to his book, completely dismissing her again.

Maria pouted but looked back outside. Maybe he was naturally antisocial or maybe, there is some trick she has to learn to be able to converse with the opposite gender. She just didn't know it yet. Thanks to her sheltered life Maria didn't know any boy outside her family and she wasn't sure how to talk to them properly. It didn't help that she found the young man quite handsome. She blushed lightly at the thought and quickly turned back to watch the landscape outside.

Suddenly, Maria noticed an outline of some castle directly above them, high up in the hills. The fog around it created a perfect cover making it impossible to notice the building any sooner. The bad visibility and the position so high on a rocky mountain made it a perfect place to build a fortress. She wondered what kind of person lived in such place. And surely, before Maria could start to wonder if that could be their destination, the carriage suddenly started to go steeply up the hill.

The way up didn't take as much time as it seemed it would and very soon the carriage passed the huge steel gates, stopping in the middle of a huge courtyard. One of the guards ran to the carriage, quickly, opening the doors for them.

The silver haired boy got off first, offering his arm to her. Maria blushed again, but took it hesitantly. She used that opportunity to look around quickly. The castle seemed very old. Some of its towers were collapsed, whether from old age or from some siege she couldn't tell, but it must have been at least a good few hundred years old. Nobody built castles from rough-cut stones like that nowadays. They were too cold for living, it was too much work to warm up even one room enough to make them bearable. And they had much better materials now, anyway. Not to mention the fact that most of the nobles preferred more esthetically pleasing places.

There was some kind of decoration over the gates. Maria squinted her eyes trying to see if she could find some insignia that would tell her whom this place belonged to. A sudden sense of dread washed over her. Those weren't crests but freshly cut heads on stakes. Her first instinct was to quickly retreat to the safety of carriage but the man's hand clutched her more tightly and not allowing her to move. Maria looked up at her capturer in panic, but the gaze she met wasn't threatening. On the contrary, it was oddly reassuring. The silver eyes promised that nothing would harm her. Maria gulped, but straightened herself up, deciding to believe him for now. She was not raised a coward, her parent's sent her here for a reason, and so she would face whatever was awaiting her inside.

Once she found herself on the courtyard she couldn't help but shiver from the cold winds. She didn't have very warm clothes. Maybe if someone warned her beforehand that she would be traveling up to the mountains so far in north, she might have at least grabbed hurriedly a warmer cape. But then again, her parents probably didn't know where exactly she was being taken either. If they knew, her mother would have made Maria wear every warmish piece of clothing she could find in the house. She quickened her pace, hoping that the inside of the castle was much warmer.

The man stopped when he noticed her trembling. He quickly took off his coat. "Here, take this it will warm you up," he handed it to her.

"No, you shouldn't," Maria tried to refuse when she noticed he had only a thin shirt underneath the thick coat, but the boy ignored her protests wrapping the coat tightly around her shoulders. "Don't worry about me I'm used to this cold. Just take it." He looked at her sternly daring her to protest again.

So Maria nodded resignedly and wrapped herself in it. The coat was still warm from his body and carried his distinctive scent. Somehow it felt comforting.

"By the way, my name is Ichiru." The man smiled for the first time, offering his arm again.

Maria couldn't help but find that smile very captivating. She took the offered arm and quickly buried her head in cape's fur to hide her blush. Maybe, she wasn't so hopeless with the opposite gender after all.

Once they entered the main gate, they found themselves in a corridor lit by torches. Even though it was quite bright, it still looked eerily. It was nothing like the comfortable mansion Maria had spent most of her life in. All those creepy statues… where those real skulls? She wished to have more time to look around, but too soon, she was ushered through big wooden door leading to big room.

Maria felt a presence on the opposite side of the room but it was so dark in here, that even her vampire eyes needed time to adjust. She moved closer slowly at first, until she saw a familiar shape of someone sitting on the throne. The throne looked oddly, like it was made from human bones. It made the woman sitting on it look like a goddess of death herself. How fitting, Maria thought as she recognized who it was.

"Shizuka-sama!" She cried out and broke into the run. Those lovely long hair and snowy white skin, she looked almost the same as Maria remembered her. She knew those rumors about Mad Cherry being dead weren't true. She just knew it.

Maria stopped herself from spontaneously hugging the pureblood, deciding it might be better idea to offer a polite curtsey instead. After all, she was in presence of former queen of the Northern kingdom herself. "My queen, it's an honour," Maria bowed deeply.

"Raise my child." Shizuka's voice echoed around the empty room. "And come closer."

The pureblood took Maria's face in her hands, observing her face intently. "My sweet child, I have a very special task for you." She whispered, hugging the girl to her chest. Gently, like a mother hugging her dearest child.

Maria suddenly felt so at peace and content, enveloped in Shizuka's warmth. As if she could easily fall asleep right here and now. She closed her eyes, missing the meaningful glance the vampire queen cast at the silver haired boy standing behind her.

Shizuka chuckled when the girl went limp in her arms. She glanced at Ichiru and smiled when she saw a sudden realization in his eyes. Even though she didn't explain him the whole plan in order not to give him a chance to slip in front of Maria, Shizuka knew he would eventually understand her. He always did. He always will.

* * *

"I can see some light already." Zero announced happily, glad that he wouldn't have to crawl on his hands and knees much longer. He glanced behind at Kaname. "It seems we're finally reaching the end."

"Finally? And here I was quite enjoying the view." The pureblood looked up at the certain part of Zero that he could see so clearly from this angle just in time to avoid a kick to the head. The ex-human growled when he realized he missed and quickened his crawling pace instead, leaving the amused pureblood behind.

It took just a few more minutes, until Zero was able to stand up, at last. He looked up to where the light was coming from. He could see a part of sky above. "Just where exactly are we?" He asked, watching Kaname crawling out of the tunnel behind him.

"It's old, dried up well." The pureblood answered distractedly. His attention focused on dusting off the mud from his clothes. "How come whenever I'm out with you, I end up covered in dirt all over?"

"Well, I have my talents." Zero smirked, before looking back up. "So, how exactly do we get out?"

"Look closer." The other vampire pointed towards the opposite wall. Some of the stones there were larger than others, protruding from the wall in a way that formed some kind of ladder.

Once they climbed out, they found themselves in a small backyard. It seemed to be no longer used judging by the piles of useless junk and broken old pottery scattered around. The buildings around were dark and quiet as well, their human occupants probably still asleep at this hour. They exited to the one of the side alleys and after a few minutes of zigzagging around, they finally reached the main road.

Zero was starting to get a pretty good idea as to where they were headed, from all the sounds and smells that came from that direction. He looked questioningly at the other vampire. "Kaname, are we, by any chance, going to the marketplace? Isn't that a bit too risky? What if someone recognizes you?"

"Yes, we're heading there. But you don't have to worry about me. I know how to mask my presence." The pureblood shrugged and to stress his point, he pulled the hood up to hide his face and lowered his aura. Even if some vampire or hunter were to ram into him now, he would have no idea he is standing in presence of pureblood.

Zero nodded somehow relieved. He was a little nervous about this whole "trip" idea, because no matter the disguise, every vampire or hunter in vicinity would not miss pureblood's aura even in their sleep. This way, the two of them looked just like another pair of lower level vampires wandering through the city.

The ex-human almost forgot how perfectly purebloods could mask their presence. He was sure, that Kaname could become completely invisible to anyone's senses if he wanted to. That's what made the purebloods such dangerous predators and every hunter's nightmare. If you can't sense your opponent, it's hard to counterattack in time. That, plus their inhuman strength and powers made them complete abominations. Zero frowned. It seemed he was constantly forgetting who he is dealing with. But to his defense, it wasn't so hard since they looked so human. Small part of him felt suddenly reassured by the weight of hidden dagger in his boot.

The hunter pulled his hood up as well, partly to hide his thoughts from his companion and partly to not risk being recognized by one of the hunters. That would be really troublesome.

"So, I don't suppose we're going to the marketplace to make some shopping?" Zero kept in step with the pureblood.

"You didn't think this little trip is just for fun, did you? No, no… this trip has its purpose. I want to see if we can find any clues about Yuuki's attacker." Kaname explained. "Someone must have known about her presence there."

Zero nodded. True, hunters were tipped off by someone too, after all. But who was behind all this? Was this the same person that hired hunters to kill the king? But it didn't make sense, why would they attack Yuuki? That way, they would have compromised the hunter's whole mission. That could only mean that there is more than one person that wanted the Kuran's dead. The ex-human looked sideways at Kaname. The pureblood sure knew how to make enemies.

"Ok, but won't someone miss their king?" Surely someone in the castle would notice if the most important person suddenly went missing.

"I told them I am resting in my chambers and I do not wish to be disturbed. They should know better than that." The pureblood answered with the confidence that can be earned only by, well, by being raised as a king himself. He was completely certain than no one would even dare to go against his orders. "The only one who knows is Seiren."

Of course, Seiren would know about it. No stone would be left unturned if she noticed that her master suddenly went missing. Zero's eyes quickly swept the area, as if expecting to see her standing on some nearby rooftop. He wouldn't put it past her.

Kaname chuckled when he noticed Zero suddenly looking around cautiously. "Don't worry I ordered her to stay in the castle. Though, it took some convincing." He shook his head at the memory. She wasn't happy about a lot of his actions lately, but he was still the one giving orders. Sometimes she could be a bit overprotective, but she was still the best guardian the ruler can hope to have, and completely loyal to him.

As they neared the marketplace, the road seemed more and more crowded. Soon they had to maneuver through the sea of people, some of them carrying a large wicker baskets, the other using mules or carriages to help them with their load. Zero noted it was more crammed than usual. Probably because with the upcoming daylight most of the vampire merchants and customers were leaving, so their places could be taken by humans. It was how most of city worked. With the coming dawn, the night-town was slowly transforming into the day-town. Zero quickly ducked his head when he glimpsed a pair of familiar faces in the corner of his eyes. Of course, this also meant that hunters were finishing their shifts.

Fortunately, these two were easy to spot, since they were dressed as city guards. The ones hiding among people would be much more difficult to notice. A lot of the vampire hunters chose to work as guards nowadays. They could merge those two jobs together and benefit from steady income instead of the one-time rewards for assignments that could be very sporadic sometimes. There were a times when Zero contemplated joining them as well, but Yagari was strictly against it. For him it was the same as selling yourself to the current system under vampires' rule. Yagari wanted revolution not compliance.

They wandered through the market for quite a while, observing people, trying to find some clues but nothing so far. The sun was already up and the air was getting warmer, too. Zero noted with a smile that Kaname was starting to pay more attention to what merchants were offering at their stalls rather than looking out for anything suspicious. Slowly at first, he gazed at various merchandize from time to time, but with growing interest. Soon, his eyes browsed through certain stalls with such a childish glint in his eyes that made Zero chuckle.

Kaname really felt almost like a small kid. As a king he usually didn't mingle with common folk. In certain ways his life could be called sheltered. It wasn't very often he could just go out to observe ordinary people in their daily lives. When he visited officially, he was always surrounded by guards and no peasant was allowed to come even close to him. This was a rare chance for him to observe people. There was a great variety of people, with great number of foreigners among them. Some people just bought what they came for and headed back home, others argued quite loudly about prices, and some just stood around and gossiped.

He had to admit that some of the things that were sold here he hadn't seen before in his life. But judging from what those merchants shouted when offering them, they must be used daily by common folk. Kaname finally decided to swallow a little of his pride and ask Zero about the most peculiar of them. The ex-human laughed but explained patiently the uses of each item.

Kaname noticed that Zero was in a much better mood than before, so he continued with his question and after a few more rounds around market, he had a pretty good idea what use had things like rolling pin, drop hammer, and spatula, among others.

"You know, you should really make a trip to royal kitchen or smithery. It could be quite educational for you." Zero quipped after he explained what the purpose of wooden hand grinder was. He felt almost pleased that for once he knew something the pureblood didn't.

"Well, maybe I will… after the cooks and blacksmiths learn basics of how to deal with delegations, how to lead an army, and other useful stuff like that." The pureblood retorted. " You know, so they can lead this country while I go bake a cake."

Zero had to laugh at that image. "Fair enough."

Suddenly, the pureblood stopped and tilted his head as if listening to something.

"What's wrong?" Zero asked, but soon enough, he heard it, too. Quickly looking around he noticed a crowd of people that started gathering not so far from them, attracted by some commotion.

"No, leave him alone! He didn't do anything. Someone help!" A child's voice cried out.

The pureblood set off immediately in its direction. Zero cursed under his breath, recognizing instantly what it was. He had seen similar scenes a numerous times before. He quickly caught up to Kaname, grabbing his arm in attempt to stop him. "Let it be. It's none of our business."

But the pureblood didn't heed his warning and only shook his hand off. So with a resigned sigh, Zero followed him. They made their way through the whole crowd of people, until they reached the front. Just as the hunter suspected, they saw a merchant and two small kids in dirty ragged clothes. The ex-human recognized them, they were the ones trying to sell him flowers the day he met Yuuki.

The smaller girl held the hem of the merchant's tunic, pleading with him for mercy. "We were just hungry, please sir. We will pay back for that bread."

She was the one they heard calling for help a minute ago. But the old man just kicked her out of the way and continued dragging the boy over to the wooden platform. The place was often used for heralds or… for punishing thieves. Zero gulped, knowing where this was going.

"Let's get out of here." The hunter tried again, but the pureblood refused to bulge, unreadable expression on his face. His aura flared warningly for a moment, too.

"What is going on here?" Kaname asked Zero quietly.

"The boy must have been caught stealing." The ex-human explained. "Guards aren't always around and sometimes merchants take justice to their own hands." He eyed the small leather whip in merchant's other hand. He thanked inwardly for small blessings. "If the boy had stolen something more valuable or was a little bit older they could have cut his arm off. But this way, he'll probably get beaten as a warning and sent home."

"But he is just a kid." No matter the excuse, hurting children was unforgivable in Kaname's eyes. He decided to do something about it and before Zero could even try to stop him, the pureblood stepped forward.

"Leave him alone!" He commanded darkly.

Well, that earned him quite a lot of attention; the crowd started murmuring loudly, as if expecting a fierce fight to break out any minute. The small girl stopped crying and looked up at Kaname with such a hopeful eyes, that Zero didn't find a heart to halt pureblood's actions anymore. Instead, he quickly scanned the area. Glad that he didn't see any guards around yet, and stepped behind the other vampire to let him know he had his back.

The merchant faltered on his way towards the platform, rounding on the pureblood. "And why would I let him go, young lad? I caught him stealing twice already but, being kind-hearted as I am, I let it go with just a warning. But my patience has run off. Someone has to teach this yokel a lesson. And since it was me who they stole from, then that's pretty much my right. So go back to your rich daddy and don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong, boy, especially to the business of us hardworking folks." He finished, spatting to the ground near Kaname's boot, before turning back to continue dragging the boy forward.

But it wasn't even a few steps before the pureblood appeared in front of him, blocking his path. Kaname grabbed him and growled menacingly. His aura changed dramatically, making even some people in the crowd step back in fear.

The merchant faltered. He recognized an angry vampire when he saw one and his face lost all colour for a moment. His knees felt weak and they would have probably already given out if the pureblood didn't hold him so tightly by his tunic.

"I said to let the boy go. Do I need to repeat myself here?" Kaname said quietly, face close to his so the man can see clearly the pureblood's crimson eyes and sharp fangs.

But surprisingly, it had quite a different effect. The merchant seemed to suddenly overcome his initial shock and the fear in his eyes slowly transformed into something completely different. Something that Kaname didn't like a bit.

"You're a vampire, huh?" He drawled with a new-found bravery. "What are you going to do in front of all these people, bite me?" The old man laughed in his face. "I wanted to give that filthy little thief what he deserved, but perhaps we can make some deal, young boy." Zero's jaw nearly dropped from surprise. That man was either very brave or very stupid. Either way, he was suddenly afraid that Kaname will soon lose it and kill him.

The pureblood seethed, his hands trembling in anger. The nerve this man had. How dared he. Right now he wanted nothing else than to tear this man's head off and taste his blood. But he knew better than to get provoked by some lowly fool. He refused to fall to his level. He took a few steady breaths to calm himself, deciding that he'll try it the easy way first.

"How much do you want?" He said finally, easing his grip a little to appear less threateningly, but the truth was, he was finding it harder and harder to resist the temptation to crush this man's throat.

The merchant sighed in relief, oblivious to the pureblood's real feelings. It seemed his little stunt had worked. For a moment he was afraid that he would really be killed. But there were a lot of things playing in his favor. Most of all, it was a daytime already, meaning there were quite a lot of guards around and this boy didn't look as stupid as to actually harm him in front of all these witnesses.

The old man looked at the expensive looking clothes the young man was wearing. Perhaps he can get something more out of this situation. He nodded and released his grip on the kid.

Finally free, the child ran up to his crying sister and hugged her tightly, trying to calm her down. Both of them remained on the ground, watching how the situation will develop.

"Give me fifty silver coins, sir," the old man tried, "and I won't tell the guards you attacked a human. After all, you vampires can act all high and mighty however you want, but thanks to the current laws, you can't even look at human in a wrong way. Not when the guards are around. You can thank your useless king Kaname for that." The old man finished. He knew that Kuran was much respected ruler among most local vampires and by saying his name disrespectfully, he wanted to show this bloodsucker who had the more power in this situation. Too bad that he couldn't see the irony of that.

That seemed to be the last straw for the pureblood. "That was a big mistake, you lowlife." He growled low in his throat, his fang flashing dangerously. He tossed the old man to the ground like a rag doll, stepping on his right hand before the man had even a chance to get up and pick up his fallen whip to use it in defense. Kaname's foot squeezed painfully, nearly crushing the merchant's fingers.

The merchant cried out form pain. His attitude made a complete turnaround. "Please, sir. I am sorry. I didn't mean it." The merchant started begging. "It was just a joke, sir. Please don't hurt me, I have a family to feed." It seemed he terribly miscalculated and he was quite afraid he'll pay with his life for that.

The pureblood applied a little more pressure with his boot, until he felt a satisfying pop. The merchant wailed loudly as he felt his fingers broke, but didn't protest any further. He knew better than that now.

"Don't touch these children ever again. Or I'll come and find you." Kaname said finally. He pulled a pouch from his belt and took a few shillings, throwing them at the merchant. "That should be enough for what those children owe you."

If there was a way to do it without exposing himself, the pureblood would have ordered this man to be whipped. And in his eyes that would still be a very light punishment. With a last disgusted look in merchant's direction he turned away, walking over to the kids. Looking at their drity ragged clothes and skinny faces, he decided to hand the rest of the pouch to them.

They looked up at him in fear first. Not sure if they should trust a vampire. But when they saw how many coins were inside, they took it hastily, without hesitation. In their whole life they hadn't seen so much money together. Both children thanked him almost in tears for such generosity. The younger girl fished out a red rosebud somewhere from her pocket, handing it to the pureblood before she quickly ran after her brother. Both children soon disappeared in the crowd.

"We should go, too. And quickly. The guards are heading this way." Zero appeared by Kaname's left side, making the pureblood turn his attention back to him. He quickly pocketed the bud and looked around, once again aware of his surroundings.

He noticed one very agitated crowd. Some of the people were leaving quite hastily, not wanting to have anything to do with this, but others, the more active ones, started calling guards for help. Kaname saw a small group of armed men making their way towards them. Deciding it's highest time to leave, the pureblood quickly followed after Zero.

With a bit of luck and big dose of use of vampire powers, they managed to slip away before those guard could even properly see them. Both vampires wandered through the city aimlessly for a while, no one saying a word. Kaname was deep in thought and Zero wasn't feeling like talking either. The ex-human didn't know what to think about the whole situation. As a hunter he wondered if he should have had put more effort to stop the pureblood, but some part of him, a big one actually, couldn't help but think that man deserved what he got.

They continued in silence. But there was one thing that actually felt like expressing itself. The hunter's stomach suddenly growled quite loudly. The pureblood glanced at him, his face lightening into smile for the first time since that incident. "Really, Zero?"

"What? I am hungry." Zero said in his defense. He almost didn't remember when was the last time he ate.

"I though you said you weren't hungry when I invited you so nicely to dinner this morning." Kaname said smugly.

"Well, now I am. And it's evening already. Aren't you hungry, too?" Zero watched as the pureblood thought about it for a moment, before nodding in agreement. "Well, then I might know a place or two where we can eat." The ex-human stood up, heading back to the center of the city.

Kaname followed him, his eyes wandering to Zero's neck for a moment. The truth was, after all that happened he felt a completely different kind of hunger.

But normal food sounded good, too. For now.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N**: This whole chapter is dedicated to our two favorite vampires and their 'date.' I wanted to shift their relationship to another level while seeming natural and not at all forced. I hope I did well.

To all those who reviewed so far, **thank you** **very much**. The feedback really helps. Some of you asked me questions I can't really answer, without revealing some parts of the plot. And some of you gave me a few ideas. *wink*

* * *

**Chapter 9: Vampire's Night Out**

"Just what exactly is this place?" Kaname looked around with dismay in his eyes. It was a little too crowded and noisy for his tastes. And where that strange smell came from?

The ex-human next him chuckled, amused by the pureblood's reaction. He briefly wondered if he should have picked some place better suited for vampires, especially the ones raised with the silver spoon, but then there was the risk that some of the higher level vampires would recognize Kuran. And seeing how excitedly the pureblood observed people at the market during the day, Zero wanted to take him to some human establishment instead. Because if the king ever wished to learn more about the daily life of common folk, this would be the second best place to go right after the market.

"It's called a tavern." Zero answered, even though he was sure Kaname was able to figure out so much by himself. "It might not look like it, but the food here is really good. Let's go sit over there." The hunter pointed towards one of the corners.

Since most of the patrons preferred to sit around the fireplace or near the pub counter, the farthest corner was almost always empty, making it the best place if one wanted to have at least some privacy in this place.

Zero headed towards their table, quickly scanning the area, glad that he didn't see any hunters around. He picked up the farthest tavern from the hunter headquarters he could think of, but one can never be too sure. It wasn't the most luxurious place, since it was mostly frequented by the poorer class and it certainly won't win any prices for tidiness any time soon, but the meals here were quite superb.

The waitress was by their table, as soon as they sat down. She put down automatically two pints of beer in front of them.

"What can I get you gentlemen?" She asked more politely than usual, smiling at them sweetly. Looking at their fancy clothes, she decided they were probably more worth of her time than those poor drunkards up front.

"Let's see. A spiced trout, two bowls of vegetable stew and some bread." Zero ordered for both of them, before Kaname could even start to wonder what they could actually serve in a place like this.

"If that would be all, I'll be right back." The waitress hummed in approval. She could already imagine how much tip money these well-dressed strangers will leave her.

Kaname raised eyebrows seeing as Zero took the initiative to order for both of them, but otherwise didn't comment, only nodding in appreciation. He wouldn't know what to order in this place anyway.

Instead, the pureblood took the opportunity to look around more closely at the people around. Most of the patrons were gathered up front, nearby the fireplace. The bard stood in the center, playing a lute and singing about long gone battles ant its heroes. Some of the men sang along, others were seemed to be more interested in playing dice.

A few easy women circled around, trying to lure some customers. The red headed one caught a glimpse of the two vampires and started to head their way. Her eyes twinkling from anticipation of wealthy pray. But one warning look from Kaname was enough to freeze her on spot. She suddenly seemed to lose all interest in them and quickly returned to sit beside another wealthier looking patron.

All of sudden a loud cry came from one of the tables. The pureblood turned his gaze in its direction. One of the gamblers swept the dice set from the table in anger. Others burst out laughing at his antics. These men seemed have too much to drink already. But that obviously didn't stop them from ordering more. Most of them seemed to be regulars, trying to drown their sorrows in alcohol and forget about hard day at least for a while.

Speaking of hardships; Kaname took out something from his pocket thinking about what happened earlier.

"I have one too, you know." Zero's voice interrupted him from his musings.

The ex-human fished something from his coat pocket, taking it out. He put it down on table next to Kaname's. It was a rose bud, too. A little dried already, but still maintained its perfect shape. Zero's flower was white, while the pureblood's one was red. Kaname smiled, he found it strangely fitting.

"I met those kids at the market once, and got it in exchange for one silver." The ex-human explained, smiling nostalgically at the memory.

That gave Kaname an idea. "Zero, you're an orphan, too. Did you ever need to steal to survive?" He couldn't imagine living like that…

"Not really." The young vampire shrugged. "I guess I was lucky, since I had a guardian. An old family friend took care of me. Without him, I would have probably ended the same as those kids."

"Not really?" The pureblood didn't miss the subtle phrasing.

"Well, I was just a child, my allowance was almost null. And those freshly baked, good-smelling pies looked really delicious. But hey, once I was earning my own money I did secretly give that old lady a pouch of coins. Repaying for all those I stole from her during those years."

The pureblood leaned his head on one hand, hiding his smile. "Hmm, behind that frowning face of yours seems to hide a very kind-hearted person." He found that twinkling in those silver eyes very alluring.

Zero frowned in response, making Kaname's smile widen. But before the ex-human could come up with some retort, the waitress appeared before them with their order.

"Here you go, gentlemen. Anything else to drink?" She asked, seeing as they had finished their drinks already.

"Yes, two more beers, please." This time it was Kaname who placed the order.

Zero raised eyebrows at the pureblood requesting more alcohol. "I thought you were more of a wine person."

"I am. But I think the beer fits this place better. Don't you think?" Kaname was sure they didn't have any good wine here anyway, and he wasn't that eager to drink some cheap plonk.

Zero only nodded, too distracted having finally something to eat, to offer any more comments at the moment. He almost forgot how hungry he was.

But a few big bites later, Zero's hunger abated enough for him, to be able once again to concentrate on something else. He glanced at the pureblood, while the other returned to observing the patrons up front. Zero smiled, the pureblood's manners were too refined for a place like this. He still held his posture as if he was eating with silverware and not some old wooden spoon in some gloomy tavern.

Zero was glad that Kaname seemed to be in much better mood now than after that whole marketplace incident.

"Well?" The hunter finally asked.

"Well, what?" The pureblood's attention turned back at him.

"Well, is it good enough for your royal taste buds, your highness?"

"It's good. Surprisingly." The pureblood eyed the bowl in front of him, wondering when the last time was washed. But despite the possible lack of hygiene, the stew wasn't bad at all. He took a bite from the spiced trout and decided. "Nothing can compete with Bertha's cooking, but this is quite good, actually." He admitted. "Maybe, I'll send someone for the recipe."

Zero nodded, smiling slightly. He was quite pleased that his choice of meal agreed with the pureblood. He and Yagari would sometimes come here to celebrate a successful hunt, ordering a big portion of spiced trout. It was Zero's favorite and some part of him wanted to share it with pureblood.

The hunter frowned at his thoughts and downed half of his beer to drown them, before he might start to worry about where that came from.

After the meal, the two of them ordered one more round of drinks, conversing about various topics, enjoying the overall atmosphere. They were getting a little tipsy, and it wasn't just them. Some patrons were getting noisier. The lone bard was joined by a few other musicians and the music picked up the tempo. Quite a number of folks started dancing.

"Hello boys, won't you join us?" It was the red headed girl from before with one of her 'coworkers'. She gestured towards the group of dancing people. It seemed that alcohol gave her more courage and this time she didn't let herself be discouraged by pureblood's warning look.

Her friend fidgeted behind her nervously, blushing. She admired her friend's courage. If she was the one to invite two handsome men like that to dance, she would turn to stuttering mess.

The fact that Kaname was even considering the offer was showing how drunk the pureblood was getting. He glanced at Zero, but the ex-human shook his head resolutely, mouthing the word _discreet_. He obviously didn't think it was a good idea to draw any attention on them.

"I'm sorry ladies, but it seems my companion doesn't feel like it." Kaname smiled charmingly, kissing the red headed girl's hand goodbye. "Maybe next time."

Zero rolled his eyes at his gentlemen-like manners. These were just some easy girls, but it seems that in pureblood's eyes every woman was a lady no matter her occupation.

"Uh, I-I see." The girl blushed, losing her audacity. She wasn't used to be treated like that. Taking her friend's arm, she nodded slightly. "But next time, you owe us a dance." She winked at them, before taking her leave.

"You heard the lady, Zero. You owe me one dance." The pureblood quipped, earning himself a chuckle and another eye-roll.

"Yeah, yeah. But we should really go, it's getting late." The ex-human sipped the last of his beer. He too was feeling quite tipsy and felt it was the highest time to stop, before he got seriously drunk.

"What?" He noticed how the pureblood's face turned serious all of sudden.

"Uh-huh. I forgot that I gave my money pouch to those kids."

"Are you serious?" Zero tried not to laugh, but despite his best efforts he found the corners of his mouth twitching. What was that saying again, _for goodness to beggary_? "How much money was in it?"

"I don't know, a few hundred silver coins?" The pureblood shrugged.

This time Zero really did burst out laughing. "Only a few hundred silver coins? I see… and what do you expect them to use these money for? Buy the whole orphanage?" Really, leave it to the king to bring more money for one day trip, than the most town folks earned in year. Those kids were really lucky.

"Yeah, yeah laugh it up." Kaname crossed his arms, almost sulking at the way Zero made fun of him. It was a spur of the moment thing, a random act of kindness.

"You must be the poorest king I know right now." The ex-human continued snickering, he couldn't help himself. He blamed it entirely on the alcohol.

"I'm the only king you know." Kaname objected. "And technically speaking, since I'm the ruler of this land everything in here belongs to me in one way or the other." He looked at Zero, challenging him to argue against that.

"Ok, your highness let me pay for you then, since I'm such kind-hearted person." Zero decided. He didn't have a problem with that, since the pay in the castle was high enough. And _technically speaking_, these also were Kaname's money. He took out the pouch and…

"Uh-oh."

"Uh-oh?" The pureblood looked at his companion questioningly.

"I don't have enough money to cover for both of us." Zero admitted meekly.

This time it was Kaname's turn to laugh. "Well, it seems we've found ourselves in very peculiar situation. So what should we do? Run?"

The ex-human shook his head. "No I might have an idea." He gestured towards the opposite corner where a bunch of drunkards played the dice.

* * *

"Quick! This way!"

In the end, they ended up running anyway. Kaname frowned as he found it a little harder to run than usual. He must be drunk more than he thought. The pureblood looked over at the ex-human running by his side. Zero's legs seemed a little unsteady, too. Even though that, they should be able to outrun a few humans. But those vampire guards might prove to be a problem.

He supposed, if it came to worst he could always use his powers to get rid of their pursuers, but that would also mean letting go of his aura and Kaname was trying to stay incognito if possible.

It was not because they lost the game. No, on the contrary they were very successful. After only a few rounds, they had enough money to pay for their dinner. They should have stopped there and go home, but the alcohol-induced loss of judgment convinced them that it was too much fun to stop playing now. So they continued for another hour or two, until the first disagreements came. It turned out that those guys were pretty sore losers and the two vampires ended up accused of cheating. Once the guards were called, they decided it was the highest time to get out of there.

For a while Zero really did wonder if Kaname was cheating by using his powers, but then he recognized the look on the pureblood's face. The look he usually had when playing chess or leading a meeting. No, the king was winning strictly on his strategic skills. And enjoying it utterly. Cheating would provide no challenge for him. And without challenge it wouldn't be fun. Zero briefly wondered if he should take Kaname to some gambling den next time, where more professional players gathered.

The pureblood suddenly stopped in the middle of the bridge.

Zero looked at him questioningly, trying to catch his breath. "Kaname, why are we stopping here? I could still hear them behind us." _And their footsteps seemed to be dangerously close_.

The pureblood climbed on the railing, turning back at him. "Because we are going to jump."

The hunter frowned at the idea, looking down over the rail. The bridge was quite high above the river and who knew how deep the water was. This was insane. They could badly hurt themselves or drown. He shook his head, backing away. "You're crazy."

"Trust me." Kaname held out his hand, locking his eyes with Zero's.

A strange look crossed the ex-human's face for a moment. Hesitating for a while, he seemed to come to decision. With a heavy sigh he took the offered hand and climbed up after the pureblood, trying not to look down. Kaname wrapped his other arm around the ex-human's waist.

Pressed tightly against Kaname, Zero could hear the frantic beating of pureblood's heart and he knew he wasn't the only one anxious. Well, if they are both going to die, at least his mission to kill the king would be fulfilled.

"Ready?" Kaname smiled warmly, his gaze promising that his trust won't be betrayed. With a nod from the hunter, he threw them both over the edge.

The free fall seemed to last minutes, but in reality it took them only a few seconds before they landed in something. Something that strangely wasn't water.

"A hay?" The hunter looked around with surprise. They landed sidewise on the back of the boat loaded with hay. He looked at the other vampire accusingly. "Did you perhaps know that there was a boat coming?"

"I could smell some dried grass not far from here and since there aren't any stables around I guessed it must come from under the bridge." The pureblood shrugged, his hand still trapped under the ex-human's waist.

"You guessed?" Zero felt like punching him. "You could have killed us both, you know." He shifted so he could lie on his back, but otherwise didn't withdraw from the pureblood. The other's warmth felt almost comfortable. He looked up at the sky, noting that today was a full moon.

"I wouldn't let it happen. If it came to worst, I would have used my powers. But I was trying to avoid that unless necessary." Kaname leaned closer to the ex-human, his thirst from before returning. His eyes set on the other's neck with determination.

"Ouch!" Unaware of the other's heated gaze, Zero sat up swiftly, head-butting the pureblood.

"We forgot those flower buds in the tavern!" Zero remembered, not at all noticing the other's sudden discomfort.

"No we didn't." Kaname recovered quickly from the blow and grabbed the ex-human by the shirt, dragging him back down to his level again.

"Here," He took out one of the flower buds from his pocket, handing it to Zero.

"N-no… mine is… the white one." The hunter tried to correct him, breathing heavily. He was starting to feel strange. The combination of adrenaline and alcohol in his blood made his head spin. Or was it something else?

"I know, but I want you to take mine." Kaname already tucked the red bud into the hunter's pocket.

"W-why?" More and more, Zero was finding it really hard to concentrate on his thoughts. Why was he suddenly so thirsty? And where was that delicious scent coming from? But his body seemed to already recognize the source, his eyes drawn to it like a magnet.

"For good luck." The pureblood smiled mischievously. He leaned back over the other vampire, when he noticed his strange reactions.

"Zero?" He looked at the other's reddening eyes and aroused fangs. A drop of blood was sliding temptingly across the younger vampire's cheek. The pureblood frowned, raising his hand to check his lips. It was his blood. Zero must have busted his lip a moment ago. The fact that Kaname didn't even notice it, showed how much his own judgment might be also impaired by their drinking session.

"Are you thirsty, Zero?" Kaname watched the hunter with understanding. And here he thought, he was the one yearning for some extra nourishment.

Zero sucked in his breath, some part of him knew that he was about to do something, something he fought against for years. But that part was becoming smaller and smaller with every inch the source of that delicious smell came closer. How can something smell so irresistibly? The hunter knew shouldn't follow his instincts, but somehow he couldn't even remember why. He grabbed Kaname's hair, trying to get him closer with urgency.

The pureblood resisted Zero's tug for a moment, a strange look crossed his face. He knew he shouldn't do it, but something in Zero's eyes called out to him.

"I hope you realize that in accordance with the vampire law, you're about to commit sacrilege." Despite his warning, Kaname let his head be dragged towards one very desperate ex-human. He tangled his free hand in silver locks for assurance.

Zero sighed in relief when he finally connected with the source of that delicious smell. He licked the blood around the wound, sucked at the soft skin. He didn't even register Kaname's approving groan.

The hunter growled in frustration when he couldn't feel the delightful flavor anymore. Instinctively, he started mapping the pureblood's jaw with his mouth, seeking a new source. Finally he found a nice soft place, with a strong pulse underneath whispering to him, inviting him.

"No!" Kaname tightened his hold Zero's hair when he felt a set of fangs grazing the side of his neck, keeping the ex-human form biting him. He wasn't sure he trusted Zero that much to grant him this privilege. And seeing the other's state he didn't think it would be good idea. Zero was too far gone.

The younger vampire growled, trying to free himself… trying to get more of that delicious life source.

Looking at him now, Kaname knew he let it go too far. He knew what his blood can do the instincts of lesser vampires. Now there were only two ways to rectify the situation. He could bend the ex-human to his will, command him to not feel thirsty anymore. It was his right as a pureblood. Hell, from the moment Zero tasted even the smallest drop of his pure blood, Kaname could tear him apart and no one could ever say anything against it.

Yes, he can order him to stop, but for that one small moment Zero wouldn't be his servant anymore, he will become his slave. Even if he ordered the him without breaking his will, he felt like he would be crossing the line of the ex-human's trust. He realized he respected Zero too much to do something like that to him.

As a pureblood vampire, Kaname had every right to bend anyone's will. But that wasn't what he was raised to believe. His parents had thought him better than that. They thought him that every living thing has a right to have its own will and just because you have the power to break it, doesn't mean you should. Yes, his parents were very unorthodox for purebloods, but they died for these ideals. And even though Kaname didn't always agree with them wholeheartedly, he couldn't deny the fact that these ideals were the main thing responsible for the peace and prosperity that was now.

One very frustrated growl brought him back from his thoughts. Kaname shook his head. Here he was, getting all philosophical over one ex-human. The simple truth was he just didn't like the idea of playing with Zero's mind. Yuuki liked this boy. She would never forgive him. No, Kaname would never forgive himself. Zero was slowly making his way to his heart, becoming closest thing to true friend the pureblood had.

Well, if he wasn't going to bend Zero's will, there was only one other way, how to drag the boy from his bloodlust. Kaname looked down at the ex-human, thinking. There was no reason he can't enjoy this, too. The pureblood freed his arm from under the boy and bit into his wrist drawing blood.

Zero started struggling in earnest at the fresh scent, but Kaname held him tightly with his other hand. When he gathered enough, he bent down locking his mouth with the ex-human's.

The hunter froze completely for a moment at the sensation. The shock was big enough to make his bloodlust almost disappear for a moment. He looked up meeting the garnet eyes. He felt the pureblood's hand in buried in his hair, trying to tip his head to gain better access. Kaname's warm lips moved against his own, demanding entrance. Zero hesitated and for a tiniest moment even thought of resisting, but once the first drop of pureblood's life source passed his lips, he gave in. Sucking the other's tongue in hungrily, he started kissing Kaname back in earnest.

Kaname hummed deep in his throat, meeting Zero's exploring tongue. The pureblood let his hands roam, caressing the other's body, feeling the warm skin underneath the fabric. His body begged him to do more than just embrace the boy in his arms. But he knew that wouldn't be fair considering Zero's state of 'non-awareness'. So for now, he settled for kissing the boy heatedly, pausing only to draw more blood from his wrist.

* * *

Zero woke up with his head on someone's chest. He knew who it was instantly, recognizing the pureblood's unique scent. He felt Kaname's hand wrapped around his back, caressing him absent-mindedly. The pureblood was looking up at the sky, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. Zero tried not to alert him to the fact he was awake, using the moment to try to sort out his own memories first.

The last thing the hunter remembered was feeling an unbearable thirst. How rich the color of Kaname's life source seemed as the pureblood's lips came closer. How good the blood smelled, drowning all his other senses out. And its taste, that incredibly delicious taste. Even now, he could almost taste it in his mouth.

Zero groaned, shifting a little. He felt so confused. He looked up at Kaname, searching for any bite marks. The final proof of his actions.

Did he really succumb to his vampire desires? He felt disgusted… Wanted to feel disgusted, but the truth was he never felt so good. He felt amazingly strong, full of energy. That ache that has been a constant presence in the back of his mind was gone for the first time since he had been changed.

Kaname glanced down at Zero's agitated form. He knew the ex-human was awake, had been awake for a while, but he wanted to gave him a moment to sort himself out. He himself had a lot to think about. The pureblood knew he was attracted to the silver haired ex-human. That he saw something in this boy that drew him in. And when he saw the need in those eyes, something in him responded.

But what the hell was he thinking? If anyone saw them, scented his blood… Thank god, they were in the middle of river, quite far away from any residential areas… That's it, no more alcohol for him for a very long time.

No one must know about what happened here. About the fact that he gave someone his blood. He needed Zero to understand this, too. And judging by the boy's expression, he might also need to explain to him what exactly happened. Leaving a few unnecessary, spicy details out, of course.

"Zero, we need to talk…"

* * *

**More random notes:**

-The title of this chapter is also the title of the song. It's very catchy (but has no relation to this fic whatsoever) Does anyone know it?

_-For goodness to beggary _is an old Czech saying. It means practically what it says: You shouldn't expect any reward for your kindness. On the contrary, others can see your kindness as a weakness to exploit. I tried to find an English equivalent, but couldn't come up with anything.

-Thinking about a rose buds...Not long ago, I found a very beautiful Venetian legend. (I said random notes, didn't I, mwahahaa) It's called: _The legend of San Marco's rosebud._

It's about love between noble lady Maria and a young man Tancredi. The man was of poor origins and girl's father was against their relationship. So Tancredi went to war against the Turks. The man became famous, but before he was able to meet Maria, he died. As he lied dying next to rosebush, he picked a rosebud colored by his blood and asked his friend to deliver it to his love. Soon after she received the message, Maria was found dead on her bed, with the rosebud laying on her chest. She died on 25th of April and ever since then, every year on this day the Venetians give a red rose to their loved ones as a sign of ture love.

I just find it very romantic and felt like sharing.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: We need to talk**

"No, we don't need to talk." Zero turned back, heading out of the king's offices hurriedly but the door refused to bulge. The ex-human turned back to glare at the pureblood.

"Zero…" Kaname tried again rather calmly. Not really getting the hint that the other vampire just wished to be left alone to sulk about what happened that morning few days ago.

The hunter tried the door again, just for good measure, alas with not much success. He groaned in frustration. "Look, I get it already. We talked about it more than enough."

Yes, the moment Zero regained consciousness the pureblood explained to him in quite detail what happened and what could the consequences of their actions be. Actually, Kaname didn't stop talking the whole way home, slightly unnerved by the lack of the hunter's responses. Or maybe he himself was just trying to get some semblance of control in that dreary situation.

The truth was Zero understood their situation perfectly. He might not be born as a vampire, but as a hunter he learned quite enough about them. He knew that what they did was one of the biggest taboos in vampire culture. Level D drinking from a pureblood was a big, big no-no. If anyone learned about what happened, Zero could be executed without a question. The bright side was that it was indirectly and with Kaname's consent. That might count as a mitigating circumstance, right? _Right…_

Zero stubbornly remained turned, refusing to face the other vampire. After a few moments of silence he felt Kaname's aura getting stronger as the pureblood come closer. "Are you angry at me, Zero?" The pureblood asked quietly, almost in whisper. Still keeping a calm tone, but the first hints of frustration were starting to creep into his tone.

Zero sighed, taking a while to contemplate the question. "No." He answered finally… and truthfully.

At last, he turned around to face the king. He wasn't mad at the pureblood, but himself. Zero couldn't believe he had really succumbed to the bloodlust like some bloodsucking beast. For so many years he fought the change and for what? It took only took one drunken night out to blow everything. Even now he could sense… _smell _the pureblood's delicious blood as Kaname stood close to him and it was making him crazy. Even now, Zero's pulse quickened, his body almost trembling in anticipation as he remembered that taste. _His_ taste. The hunter grimaced at his thoughts. Did he really succumb so low, just the memory almost made him thirsty again?

Suddenly, the door rattled again. However, this time it wasn't Zero's doing. It seemed that someone else from the other side was trying to get in. And once that someone found out the door were blocked, they seemed to resume to quite an insistent knocking instead.

"Kaname-sama, are you there? Kaname-sama, is everything alright?" It was woman's voice. Zero recognized it instantly, groaning inwardly. _Lady Ruka_- just what he needed for his bad mood. But part of him was glad for this distraction. It meant less questioning from certain pureblood. If only said pureblood would let go of the door. Zero glanced at the other, waiting.

For a moment, Kaname actually looked like he was contemplating whether it would pass if he pretended no one was inside and the doors were locked. But of course Ruka must know there was someone inside. She must have already heard them or sensed their presence, it's not like they tried to mask their auras. And the fact that her slightly agitated tone was starting to pique interest of guards standing in front of his office was another good point for letting the door open. He could feel that guards were getting slightly nervous, wondering if something happened to king on their watch and if they will end up one head shorter for this. That decided it. Kaname sighed and turned around to go sit back behind his desk, releasing his mental hold on the door.

"Yes, I am here. What is so urgent for you to try to force yourself into king's offices like that?" The pureblood said, anger evident in his tone. As suspected, the moment Ruka stepped in Zero used the chance and with a quick '_excuse me your highness_' slipped out of the door from behind her. Kaname felt like punching something from frustration. He was a bit more than a little peeved that his conversation with Zero once again got nowhere.

Ruka at least got the decency to blush and bow deeply in apology. "I-I am sorry your majesty, but I needed to discuss some urgent matters about tomorrow's event." She gulped, she couldn't believe that she tried to barge into king's quarters just like that, but she sensed that Kaname and that filthy ex-human of his were inside and then found out that the door were locked and…somehow reacted on impulse. Because as far as she knew, the king's offices were never locked. It was so the guards could react quickly if the king found himself in immediate danger. But it wasn't Kaname's safety that she was worried about. Aido's words from the other night still played in her mind:

'_Maybe there is something between those two_.'

The truth was, she knew that that low blood couldn't impose any real danger to the king, but she also knew very well that guards wouldn't take their chances, so maybe she did insert a little bit unnecessary worry into her voice.

Finally inside, she was relieved that everything seemed normal, but still frowned, as she noticed the ex-human's hurried departure. What they were doing that it required locked door? She didn't like this a bit.

Meanwhile, Zero was hurrying along the hallway, trying to get out of the king's reach and shouting range as soon as possible. But it seemed that he didn't need to worry, because Kaname apparently decided to let him go freely, turning his frustrations on lady Ruka instead. Poor girl, if she weren't always so cold to him, the hunter would have felt sorry for her.

"Well, please be so kind to explain yourself." Kaname's angry voice was the last thing the hunter heard before he turned corner.

Zero was surprised how easily he actually managed to slip away, yet then again he realized how unusually freely the pureblood let him act. If it was any other servant Kaname would have his head for not even half of the things Zero was allowed to do in his presence. But the hunter was given the permission to act freely by Kaname himself, so there was that.

Zero didn't have much time to ponder about it, because the next corner he turned he crashed into one of the servants. The girl squeaked but managed to keep her balance. The same couldn't be said about the pile of towels she was carrying and all of them ended scattered on the ground.

Zero knelt down to help her. "I'm so sorry. Are you alright?" He quickly helped her pick up what she dropped.

"Oh, don't worry about it!" She took last of the towels from him and smiled sincerely which made Zero pause for a second.

She was one of the trio of chambermaids he met in the kitchen on his first day of work. On that day they looked at him like he was some dirt, clearly letting him know he was dirt even among servants. Yet now it seemed a lot has changed. Nowadays, most of the staff seemed to accept the ex-human despite their former biases against his level D status. After all, the proof stood right in front of him. Whether they just got used to him or it was thanks to Bertha's persuasion skills Zero wasn't sure.

"I was just looking for you, actually. Bertha is calling you down to the kitchens. That is, if you are already done with your manservant duties."

"Y-yes, yes I am." Zero faltered only for a millisecond with his answer. After all, it wasn't a complete lie. All his nightly duties were done and if the king didn't have any special requests - special that not included trying to talk about something that they discussed enough already in Zero's opinion - then he was usually given leave for the rest of the night.

"Okay then, I'll take my leave." Once again she smiled at him before turning to walk away but something made her pause for a moment. "Uhm, I guess I'll see you at breakfast?" She asked out of nowhere, her voice only a little bit higher than normally.

Zero's eyebrows rose at the odd question, but nodded anyway. He guessed that it was her way of trying to apologize for their first meeting. Moreover, there was no reason for not being there as the hunter usually ate all his meals in staff's kitchen with the rest of the servants every night.

Once the hunter made his way into the kitchens he spotted Bertha immediately. It wasn't really that hard to find her and not only because of her large disposition, but rather the atmosphere she created around her. Bertha was in her commander mode, standing behind large pot of something that smelled very deliciously, sending instructions in all directions. The kitchen staff kept running from one spot to another cutting, stirring and seasoning meals as she commanded. All in all it looked like a complete chaos. Chaos that only Bertha was apparently able to understand.

The moment she spotted Zero, she quickly shouted last series of orders, before hurrying over to Zero, drying her big hands in her apron.

"Dear boy, come in, come in. Don't mind the mess. We're preparing for tomorrow's big event." She announced in her strong voice, leading the hunter into adjacent pantry which was much emptier and quieter. "Princess Yuuki's engagement party! Can you imagine that? I still remember when she was only this small, running all around the place and now she's all grown up and going to be married." Bertha sighed nostalgically as if she was talking about her own granddaughter and not a princess of this country.

"Anyway, I sent for you for one reason." She grabbed a tray full of homemade cookies. "Here, take these to princess. I heard she wasn't even at the dinner. God knows for how many hours they are keeping her in her room, trying to fit all kinds of dresses on her."

Bertha handed him the plate and jar of milk, pushing him out of the door in the same hurried fashion she got him in. "Go, boy. Hurry up. And make sure she eats it!"

The way towards princess' quarters wasn't as easy as Zero thought it would be. Preparations for tomorrow's big party seemed to be in full motion and the hunter had to maneuver through hordes of servants who were carrying various things from one place to another. There were a few critical moments and two very expensive looking vases in danger of being dropped, but his quick reflexes saved him.

He finally made it to the royal quarters. As the hunter reached Yuuki's room, he found her standing on pedestal surrounded by maids and seamstresses who were currently in process of sewing the last details on a dress she was wearing. Zero took a moment before announcing his presence, just observing. He thought that the dress looked beautiful enough already. No, Yuuki was the one who looked beautiful in it. But there was something odd about this whole picture. The princess looked unnaturally obedient, if they were really doing this for hours as Bertha said, Zero imagined Yuuki would have long run out of patience already. Yet there she was, standing calmly, letting maids do their job without protests. She must be taking really seriously the whole engagement situation. Even her expression seemed unusually stern.

Zero was right, Yuuki was completely exhausted and on the edge. This must have been at least twentieth dress she was currently forced to wear. For hours and hours, she has been just standing completely still while they tried on her various garments, literally sewing those dresses on her. She felt like a dress up doll or mannequin and was this close to exploding. But Yuuki was trying to be more lady-like. She has to be perfect tomorrow, to charm her soon to be husband. If Takuma comes to care for her, it would be that much easier to pretend. It would be easier to play a dutiful wife. Yuuki knew she could do it and she will, for Kaname.

She frowned. Speaking of her brother… the foul aura that he had been releasing for quite a while now certainly wasn't helping her mood. And it certainly didn't help that because of this gloomy pureblood vibes the seamstresses were starting to have trouble concentrating on their work and it made them sew more slowly, thus prolonging her torture. Yuuki was on verge of screaming in frustration to make at least some noise and she might have done it if her senses didn't caught a certain scent at that moment.

She turned her head it its direction, noticing familiar silver head standing by the doors. The princess broke into a relieved smile. "Zero! Come in." She greeted him with maybe a little too much enthusiasm, making the other occupants of the room turn in his direction in surprise.

"Let's take a break." Yuuki decided, already jumping from the pedestal and running up to the ex-human. Her eyes widened in excitement when she noticed the plate of cookies in his hands. She knew she smelled something sweet and delicious.

"But my lady, we shouldn't…" The oldest one of the maids tried to protest. It was obviously the princess' main chambermaid.

"It's ok. Take a break. Leave us." Yuuki ordered distractedly, her mouth already half full with first cookie. Oh god, she didn't even realize how much she was starving.

"Forgive me the insubordination, my lady. But he's a man. The regulations sa-" The older woman wasn't about to give up so easily.

"And he's also the king's trusted servant." Yuuki didn't give her a chance to finish. "I said_ leave_ us." She turned around, her face marring with a slight frown, her already thinned patience obviously running out quickly.

"But my lady…" The maid tried again, but that proved to be a mistake.

"No buts! I said leave." It was the first time Zero saw Yuuki using her voice and aura with such an authority. She obviously reached her limit. That or she just really wanted to enjoy her cookies in peace for once. Zero wouldn't be surprised if it was the later and it would be still very mild compared to what Kaname was capable of when he wanted to be. But still, when it was Yuuki, it looked oddly out of character on her. She was usually such a sweet girl it was hard to imagine she is pureblood who might someday rule this country.

But her tone seemed to work, for the older maid quickly bowed in apology. "Please forgive me, my lady. I meant no offense." At her cue all maids in the room gathered their things leaving without another word.

Once they were out of the room, Yuuki sat down on a small couch wearily. She seemed to be lost in her thoughts for a moment, chewing on the cookie quietly. As she reached towards the third one, she looked up at Zero sheepishly.

"Do you think I was a bit cruel to them?" She asked hesitantly. So it took only three cookies for old Yuuki to come back, the ex-human noted.

"I think you will be ok." The hunter smiled, pouring her a glass of milk.

"It's just that I am so tired... I couldn't take it much longer. If you hadn't come I would've probably thrown a fit. How un-princess-like of me, right?" She sighed and patted a spot on the couch next to her beckoning Zero to join her. As if it was completely normal everyday occurrence for the ex-human and pureblood to just sit down and enjoy some lone time together. But in this case it might be true. She offered him one of the cookies. The hunter hesitated only for a moment, but who was he to refuse one of Bertha's famous cooking creations.

"Alone with a man in my chambers…" Yuuki giggled after a while. "This will spark all kind of rumors. Might as well enjoy it."

Zero didn't really know what to say to that, he just hoped that Kaname would not misunderstand if he heard some rumors. The hunter quite liked for his head to stay where it was. For quite a long time, both of them just sat on the couch, enjoying the silence.

The hunter started throwing worried glances at Yuuki. She ate the snacks with her usual enthusiasm, but still, the frown line between her eyebrows and the unusual quietness spoke quite different story. She must be really worried about tomorrow.

"Are you alright Yuuki?" Zero decided to ask finally.

"Huh?" She looked up as if she completely forgot she wasn't alone. The frown line disappeared as she smiled at her companion in attempt to reassure him, but it never reached her eyes. "Yes, of course I am, just thinking about tomorrow. It's no big deal, really."

"You mean your _engagement_ party" The hunter panted "I would say that is more than a big deal."

"I suppose..." Yuuki shrugged but stayed quiet.

That was it. There was something definitely not alright with this girl. Zero turned more fully towards the pureblood to see her better in the eyes. "You know you don't have to do it, right? You're a goddamn princess of this country, nobody should be able to force you to do anything!"

"Nobody's forcing me. It is my decision. If I don't do it then Kana-" She suddenly stopped in mid-sentence.

"What?"

"Nothing." Yuuki turned her back on him, she was such a blabbermouth.

"Yuuki…" Zero wasn't buying it in the slightest. Now she was really being weird. Zero tried to grab her shoulder, but Yuuki was quicker.

"I said nothing!" The pureblood stood up, stomping towards windows, out of the ex-human's reach. "It's none of your business. Leave, I want to be alone." She lashed out at him instead.

Zero sighed. He wanted to help, but wasn't sure how. Women sure were complicated.

"Alright, I'll go." He stood up finally. "But if you need me, you know where to find me."

The hunter headed to the door, but before he could make a few steps, small arms suddenly enveloped his middle, a petite body hugging him from behind.

"I am so sorry Zero." Yuuki whispered a broken apology. "I didn't mean that."

"I know." The hunter smiled warmly, turning around to look at her more properly. He noticed a hint of tears, before Yuuki buried her head in his shoulder, her hair brushing his nose. Her body trembled slightly in his arms, as she sobbed quietly. The tension from the whole day finally leaving her body. The hunter just held her, letting her to get it out of her system.

This close, Zero smelled roses and something else but very familiar. Zero was suddenly strongly reminded of Kaname and what happened when he and the pureblood were this close. For a terrible moment he found himself staring at Yuuki's delicate neck, fighting a strong urge to bite, to taste that delicious Kuran blood once more. And what was worse was that somewhere beneath the thirst, there was completely different kind of lust. _A whole different _kind. He felt like he was back in that haystack, Kaname's body close to his… He wanted to feel that familiar warmth again.

Before Zero's mind could register what he was doing, his head lowered, his hand touching Yuuki's face guiding it towards him. The princess tensed but let him do as he pleased, her big teary eyes looking at him in surprise and… anticipation?

But as suddenly as those urges came, they were gone and Zero realized that that dark look belonged to quite different pureblood and the body he was holding was a lot smaller. Did he really want to do those things with Kaname again, so much that he would even mistake him for his sister in his haze? What the hell was wrong with him? Was this the side effect of drinking someone's blood?

The hunter squished all those thoughts with vengeance and quickly drew some distance between them. Time froze for a moment, both of them watching each other's reaction. Zero was more than ready to pretend nothing happened and he let go of Yuuki's shoulders, his face changing quickly into neutral mask.

Yuuki seemed to get the message and let go of him. She wasn't ready to think about what just nearly happened and with upcoming events it might be better for her to not think about them at all. Still, she hid the disappointment that she didn't even know she had. "How embarrassing, crying like a little baby." She said instead.

The hunter didn't let go completely, his hand stayed on her arm reassuringly. "It will be alright. Tomorrow will be alright, Yuuki."

"Maybe." She nodded hesitantly. "I'm sorry for what I said before. I don't know what got into me. I am all tense and snarky and keep ordering everyone around like I own the place and then. It's not like me at all."

"You know you do actually own this place, right?" Zero couldn't help but point out, finally earning a few chuckles from the princess and easing a mood a little.

"Thank you." Yuuki dried her eyes and smiled at him sincerely. "For everything. You are a very important friend to me. You and Yori are the only ones I feel I can trust."

Zero nodded, but turned his gaze away, suddenly feeling guilty. If only she knew what he really was.

"It's getting late. I should really go."

"Wait. One last thing." She called after his retreating back, making him stop and turn around. "Tomorrow night, at the event, will you be there? Please?"

"Believe it or not, I am not invited. I guess I am not of good enough pedigree." He tried to quip, but when he saw the disappointment starting to grow once again he added quickly: "But I'll find some way to get in. I promise."

* * *

Zero got into his room, falling face first onto his bed, more than ready to call it a night-err day, but a sudden feeling of not being quite alone assaulted his senses. The hunter sat up hastily looking around, when he spotted him. Kaname was perched on his window sill, looking at him with that strange expression on his face again. Zero could swear that the pureblood wasn't there a second ago.

Kaname had never been in his room before, in truth he was avoiding servants' building like plague. So what was he doing here now?

For a terrible few seconds the hunter actually thought that maybe his cover was busted and his gaze slid quickly towards a trunk at the end of the bed, where he kept all his hunter things. But it was still closed and its lock seemed untouched.

So different reason then. Zero had a creeping suspicion he already knew. "What are you doing here?"

Kaname gestured for Zero to speak more quietly and headed to sit down on the bed next to him. He didn't feel like announcing his presence to the other occupants of this building. "I just came here to talk." He answered in hushed tone, his statement confirming Zero's suspicions.

The ex-human groaned. "Look. We've already talked more than enough about this. I know that I mustn't let anyone know about what happened… ever. And certainly not let such situation happen again."

"But that's where you're wrong. I mean the last part. I don't mind if it happened again." The pureblood was still looking intently at Zero, waiting for his reaction.

The ex-human stared, not sure what to say. He certainly didn't expect _that_. Was Kaname suggesting that…? The hunter felt confused and… well, Zero couldn't quite deny that tiny little part of him felt a little excited about the prospect, not after what happened with Yuuki. How he reacted… how close he was to nearly biting her, or kissing her, just because she smelled like Kaname.

The hunter retreated to the other side of the bed to put some more distance from the other vampire, before he could get those unnatural urges again. This was all wrong, for so many reasons.

"Why? What the hell do you want?" Zero finally asked. He decided to fight his confusion with anger instead.

"It's part of the blood sharing process between two vampires. You see, blood can be quite a powerful aphrodisiac. The more pure, the more strong." Kaname followed the retreating ex-human, keeping their distance purposely short. He didn't mind the other's anger. On the contrary, he was glad they were finally talking about it. If they needed to fight it out so be it.

"So it's all your doing then." Zero glared at him, but some part of him felt relieved. So there is some explanation for this madness after all.

"Not quite." The pureblood frowned, not liking being blamed for everything. "There must be at least some hint of attraction for it to work."

"So you're saying that I am attracted to you." Zero growled, more than ready to deny everything. What was Kaname's point anyway? What happened was a mistake and they should leave it as that. End of story.

"Yes. At least some part of you." The pureblood leaned to Zero inhaling. He could smell Yuuki on him, but paid it no mind. He knew they were hanging out sometimes.

The ex-human all but stiffened at his close proximity and Kaname could hear Zero's pulse quickening in an obvious proof. "Your reaction is so strong because my blood is still too fresh in you. It will recede in time."

Receding or not. Zero felt like retreating to the other side of the room- house to create enough distance between them as he suddenly found it hard to concentrate and quite familiar feeling of lust was starting to make itself be known at the edges of his mind. The hunter decided to quickly shun those thoughts and dwell on anger again. Actually, smacking that smugness out of pureblood's face sounded quite invitingly. But before he could do something, Kaname continued talking.

"But for my blood to produce the aphrodisiac the attraction needs to be on my side, too." He shrugged, acting all casual as if he wasn't confessing sexual attraction to another male.

Zero stared at him in disbelief. "Are you out of your mind?"

The pureblood chuckled. "Yes, I probably am. You have no idea how many times I asked that myself. But there is something about you that keeps me drawing in, deeper and deeper." He leaned so close that his lips almost brushed with Zero's, but he didn't make the contact. The ex-human all but tensed, and seemed to stop even breathing. "Do you believe in reincarnation, Zero?"

Zero, who was ready to punch the pureblood and bolt any second, stopped and stared at Kaname like he was really losing it. "Seriously, are you out of your mind?" He felt like his question needed to be repeated.

Kaname leaned away and straightened. He wanted to make his point and he did. The rest is up to Zero. "That's what I wanted to talk about. That there is some attraction between us and maybe we can make something out of it." He smiled smugly. "I'll give you some time to think about it. But I expect your answer soon."

With that Kaname walked towards the window, jumping out. Zero ran after him, looking out to shout "Don't count on it." But the pureblood was already gone.

_What the…_The hunter growled in anger and confusion. He started pacing around his room, his tiredness completely gone. He didn't know what got into Kaname, and didn't want to know. What was worse was that a part of him felt a little excited at the prospect.

Zero groaned, sitting down and burying his head in his hands. That must be the blood talking, he was sure… His gaze fell onto the trunk. The hunter ripped the key from where he kept it around his neck and opened it. He eyed the small vial inside. It was the poison that Yagari gave him recipe for. Zero made it the morning they came from that tavern, he couldn't sleep on that day either. For obvious reasons.

Zero picked up the vial. He _mustn't _forget why he was here. He mustn't. He had a mission.

* * *

Kaname made it into his chambers almost in a run. He sent all servants away and poured himself a glass of wine. Downing it quickly, he grabbed the liquor to have a second glass, but stopped in mid motion, deciding it would be faster to drink directly from the bottle. He sat down on the nearest sofa staring into the fireplace.

However he might act smugly and calm on the outside, he was a real mess inside. He snorted. All this turmoil for one ex-human servant… Maybe Zero was right. Maybe he really did lose his mind.

He glanced at the portrait above the fireplace.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Throne room**

Zero hurried through well-lit corridors. The sun had yet to set, but there was quite a lot of traffic inside the castle already. It seemed that most of the servants woke up earlier today. Some even looked as if they haven't slept at all, the main reason being tonight's engagement ceremony.

The hunter didn't have much sleep, too. But it wasn't because of some party's preparation. He had a lot on his mind lately, _which_ happened quite a lot nowadays, and the sole reason for this could be pinpointed to one person only. _Kaname Kuran. _

That's where he was headed now - to king's chambers. Zero partly hoped he would catch the pureblood still asleep at this hour. This way the hunter could do most of his morning duties before waking him up and then find some excuse to disappear. It could save him from the possibility of any more awkward conversations, especially after last night. But his hopes were dashed as soon as he spotted a silver haired vampiress leaving Kaname's quarters. Zero sighed inwardly. No such luck.

The moment Seiren saw the ex-human she nodded to him in greeting, before disappearing to do her own work. She had an air of approval around her, probably thinking that Zero woke up this early to assist the king with today's busy schedule. If only she knew that the ex-human was planning to avoid said pureblood the whole night if possible... It was such a contrast to the beginnings of Zero's servitude, when she watched his every move like a hawk. She seemed more trusting towards him overall nowadays, letting the ex-human take over her former duties as king's _page_. Could she be called page if she was a woman? Zero wondered shortly. He wasn't sure, but now wasn't really a time to dwell on semantics.

Zero let himself into king's chambers quietly, but just as he suspected the pureblood was already awake. More than that, he seemed to be almost finished with his dressing, too. The maid was smoothing the last creases on the expensive looking tunic and adjusting his coat. The hunter noted that Kaname once again chose to be dressed in dark colors as he usually did on formal occasions.

Zero headed towards the dressing cabinet choosing the right cufflinks and jewelry. He picked up the gold ones with red gemstones. Ruby color complimented Kaname's clothes, while gold was the appropriate material for official situations. Zero definitely wasn't the one to remember which color of clothing had what implications among an upper class, but Seiren thought him well and thoroughly. Or more like drilled it into his head so many times it eventually stuck. The hunter smiled looking at the jewelry. Yup, Seiren would be proud of him.

He walked towards the pureblood and helped him put the jewelry on and attach the cufflinks, trying not to think about how close he was standing to the other vampire or how warm his skin felt even through the fabric. Ever since that cursed drunken morning Zero hated these moments. It filled his head with_ unnecessary_ thoughts and it also didn't help that Kaname was usually throwing amused and provoking glances in his direction.

But today the pureblood seemed lost in his thoughts, not really registering the ex-human's presence. It was such a contrast from yesterday, it made Zero pause in his work and look up at him for a moment to see if something was wrong. Kaname was frowning and his attention was focused on the pile of scrolls that Seiren must have brought earlier. Once the dressing was finished, the pureblood walked towards it, his frown deepening as he started reading.

Shrugging, the hunter went on to do his usual work, like cleaning, sorting documents, and running messages. He glanced in king's direction a few times, tempted to ask, but catching himself in time. Why was he so concerned about him anyway? This morning Zero's main intention was to _avoid_ talking with the king in the first place, he should be glad. Yet for some reason he wasn't. The hunter had a pretty good guess on what was wrong, anyway. Kaname never seemed too thrilled about the idea of Yuuki being married and today must feel for him like the judgment day. Zero was almost tempted to tell him that as a king he surely can just cancel everything. But then again, he wasn't exactly an expert as far as royal politics were concerned. There must have been a pretty good reason for the pureblood to give his permission to this engagement. So Zero decided it would be wiser to just hold back his tongue and not poke his nose in it. It also didn't help that it reminded him of a certain mission that had to be carried out before wedding came.

The better half of the evening went in similar fashion. Both of them exchanged only a few necessary words here and there, until Kaname decided to finally give him a leave. Saying that he didn't need the ex-human's services since he will be stuck greeting tonight's guests and holding a council meeting before the official start of the event.

"Your majesty." Zero bowed and left the room, leaving Kaname to stare at the now empty space.

Kaname knew he wasn't the best company, yet that wasn't the main reason he send the ex-human away. Sure, the silence between them hung more heavily than usual, but it wasn't as awkward as one might suspect, especially after last night. Zero seemed to relax considerably when he realized that Kaname wasn't about to mention his visit. And the quiet between them quickly turned back to familiar one. Like the silence between two friends, who had a lot on their minds to be really talking to each other, yet didn't mind each other's presence. No, the main reason he sent Zero away for the rest of the night was because he wanted to discuss something with his advisor before the guests arrive. And a part of Kaname didn't want Zero to know about one particular topic they were going to discuss.

Kaname slumped in his chair looking at the ceiling. He banged his head against the back of the chair in frustration. He was a real idiot to be so considerate of some ex-human's feelings. Feelings that might not even be mutual. And more importantly, feelings that Kaname definitely shouldn't have towards the boy.

A sudden knock on the door brought him back and the pureblood straightened himself quickly. "Come in."

As suspected it was Aido. The blond vampire stepped inside, holding a letter in his hand and looking more eager than was his usual. "Your majesty, the House of Shirabuki has sent us their answer."

* * *

Zero decided to fulfill his promise to Yuuki and went to see Bertha to ask her if he could be of any help tonight. The hunter didn't think it was possible but the kitchens seemed to be in even bigger state of organized chaos than the day before. He had to carefully maneuver his way through an array of cooks, trying not to disturb anyone, before he managed to find the old maid.

"Of course you can help." Bertha glanced from behind a row of steaming pots. She quickly added a last few ingredients into them, before turning around shouting loudly. "Have someone seen Risa? Tell her to come here this second!"

A small boy that had been so far sitting in the corner to keep out of everyone's way shot up at once. "I've seen her. She was in the ceremony hall." The kid seemed to be too young to really assist with anything in the kitchens, but apparently that didn't stop the others to use him as an errand boy.

"Then go fetch her!" Bertha patted the boy on the back to make him hurry. She turned back to Zero, deciding to put another capable pair of hands to good use. "Here take this salt and add a three spoons into each of the pots and after that a pinch of pepper."

It didn't take long before a young girl appeared in the doorframe. Zero recognized her instantly. It was the maid he bumped into yesterday.

"Risa, come here dear. We have a volunteer!" Bertha waved one handedly, continuing to stir the soup with the other hand.

Apparently, Risa was the head of serving staff for this event. At first, she didn't seem too happy to be delayed from her own work, but once she realized that the new addition to the serving staff would be Zero, her face changed into a small smile. "Ah, Zero! Of course, you're more than welcome to help."

Risa led the ex-human away, explaining on the fly what Zero's duties would be for tonight. Soon they arrived to an enormous looking hall where the ceremony was supposed to take place. It seemed that all preparations here were finished already. The well decorated tables were placed along the walls, the most majestic looking one was in the rear of the room. No doubt, it was reserved for the king and his most important guests. The cold feel of the room was softened by quite a number of golden candleholders and vases full of decorated white and red roses. The walls were covered by red banners with royal rose on it, the symbol of the house of Kuran. There was only one banner of different color and crest that was situated on the left, behind the main table. Evidently, that one belonged to the house of soon-to-be royal fiancé.

"So as I was saying, there are two doors on each side for servants to use." Risa continued explaining. "I don't want to see anyone using the main doors so make sure to keep on the inner side between the guests' tables and wall. Under no circumstances go to the center of the hall, that is only for guests, dancers and actors to use. And don't forget that you always serve from the right and…" Risa paused smiling sheepishly as she remembered who she was talking to. "But I guess you already know quite enough about serving since you serve his majesty himself."

Zero might not realize it himself, but as king's servant he was actually Risa's superior. You can't get higher than serving the king himself. At first, Risa was jealous and suspicious. Some level D that came from nowhere and just like that got the best position. It also didn't help that ex-humans were generally disliked. But one day her disdain all but disappeared when she heard the lady Ruka talking with the captain of the guard about how _that 'level D_' actually saved the princess from an assassin attack. She told the other maids about it and the rumor spread rather quickly and even mutated into some very interesting versions. Risa once caught scullery boy telling others quite animatedly, how Zero repelled the attack of ten from head to toe armed barbarians with just a wooden stick. But no matter what version it was, it had the same effect on everyone. They all seemed to overcome their prejudices and accept the ex-human among themselves, some even adored him.

"I guess you'd like to be assigned to king's table?" Risa asked finally, she seemed to be certain that the answer would be positive. That table was the most lucrative and serfs were fighting each other to get that place. It was a big chance to earn a favor from the highest nobles or even king himself and get yourself promoted. But it was also the most dangerous. If you made a mistake at some noble's table it was bad enough, but if you made a big mistake at the king's table, at best you lose your job, at worst your head. And as the leader of serving staff, Risa was responsible for picking up the most capable workers. It was her neck she was risking, too. But Zero as king's personal servant was qualified more than enough in her eyes. And she definitely thought he would certainly use the chance to get the best place. Thus the ex-human's answer was that more surprising.

"Actually, I would like to serve at princess Yuuki table, if it's not a problem." The main reason for his volunteering was his promise to Yuuki so it had no point to be placed at completely different table where he wouldn't be able to even meet her.

Risa blinked a few times as if her brain had trouble to comprehend that sentence. Well, that was quite unexpected. "N-no, that won't be a problem at all."

Actually, since yesterday, there was a different kind of rumor circling around, involving a man visiting princess' chambers. Risa didn't give it much thought, but now she couldn't help but be a little suspicious. Anyway, it really wasn't the time to think about it, there was a ton of other work waiting for her.

"Ok, I guess that would be all. I have to run now. If you have any more questions, you know where to find me."

* * *

Zero scanned the hall one more time, trying to memorize all the instructions he was given before heading back. Passing through the main corridor he noticed that the large doors leading to the throne room were slightly open. The hunter glanced inside and found it completely empty. No guard, no maids, no nobles no one. That was quite unusual. He decided to let it pass and turned around when at the second glance he noticed a very familiar figure standing behind the throne. It wasn't really that surprising that he hadn't noticed him before, since the pureblood had a tendency to merge very well with shadows if he wanted to. At least that's what Zero concluded after being startled a few times when he thought he was alone in the room only to hear Kaname's voice echo from somewhere suddenly, preferably close enough so he could get a start from the ex-human.

The hunter contemplated whether to step in or not. But the image of a worried looking pureblood was still fresh in his head and he decided to go in. That made Zero frown. Once again, he shouldn't be concerned about someone the hunter was actually planning to _kill_. He should use Kaname's trust and get it over and fulfill his mission already, but he …He was such an idiot really.

With a foreboding feeling he would regret it, Zero decided to enter.

"Your majesty." The hunter greeted the king formally in case there was someone else in the room he hadn't noticed before. "I thought you had a meeting." Zero asked. It wasn't an accusation, more like a conversation opening.

Kaname glanced at Zero as he beckoned for him to enter. Of course, he wasn't surprised to see the ex-human, since he felt his presence for a while. But the pureblood decided not to react and let the boy decide for himself whether he wanted to go in or not.

"I had. It ended already. And there is still time before the first guests arrive." The pureblood shrugged.

Zero nodded, not sure what more to say. "Where is everyone?" He decided to ask instead.

"I sent them all away. I wanted to be alone, to do some _thinking_." The pureblood admitted, his dark gaze set on the throne in front of him.

Judging by his despondency it was obvious that Kaname still wasn't in very talkative mood. Zero knew it was a bad idea to come inside in the first place. He hated to force his presence on others when they wanted to be left alone.

"I see. I should leave you alone then." The hunter turned to go, but the pureblood stopped him.

"No stay. It's ok." Kaname wanted to be alone, but he didn't mind Zero to be here, if that made any sense. The pureblood looked at the letter he was clutching in his hand and hid it in his coat pocket, before the other had a chance to see it. He shook his head to get rid of his dark thoughts and turned his gaze fully towards Zero, watching him as he made his way across the throne room, his steps muffled by thick red carpet that lead towards the throne itself.

"We first met here, remember?" The pureblood asked matter-of-factly in attempt to lighten the mood and to give the other vampire impression he was ready to have some actual conversation now.

"How could I forget?" Zero smiled slightly. He still remembered the chills the pureblood's dark gaze gave him at that time. The hunter looked up at Kaname and their eyes locked for a moment. It was the same dark gaze, yet it seemed different, dare he say warmer now. But it still held the same kind of power. And that odd familiarity that Zero felt at their first meeting was also still present. After a moment the hunter started to feel like he might get lost in that alluring gaze and broke the eye contact quickly.

"Weren't there two thrones, though?" Zero asked, trying to change his train of thought that started heading in a dangerous direction.

"The one Yuuki was sitting on? That wasn't a throne even if it might have looked like one. It was just an ornate chair that is brought in when she wishes to hold a court with me. There is only one throne in this kingdom since there is only one sovereign." Kaname paused, contemplating whether to share the next piece of information or not. He looked at curious silver eyes and finally decided to trust Zero with it. "After Yuuki's wedding, under certain circumstances, she might become the Queen and then she would get my throne."

"Certain circumstances… you mean if you abdicate?"

Kaname smiled slightly, he wasn't surprised that Zero caught on so quickly. Not anymore. "Yes, the council might expect something like that from me, especially if she gives birth to a boy."

"And if you don't abdicate then what? You think they will try to get rid of you?" The hunter's eyes widened. Something just clicked at the back of his mind and he didn't like the possibilities it brought.

"Yes, they might." Kaname's expression darkened. "Why do you ask? Do you know something?"

"No." Zero answered a little too quickly, cursing himself for picking a topic that might light a suspicion at him.

"Then why is it of any concern of yours?" The pureblood continued. There was a difference between catching up on things quickly and _too quickly_. He really didn't want to suspect Zero of anything, but it was a learned reaction of one who has been brought up in vampire politics. You had to constantly watch your back to not get backstabbed by anyone.

Zero frowned at the accusations. He was sure he didn't let out anything that might expose him and he refused to start panicking. It helped that he knew Kaname better now and knew what approach to use. "Don't get your hopes up. I was just concerned as your servant. Where else will I find a work that pays as well as this one?"

The hunter knew the distraction worked when the pureblood's serious expression lightened and he saw him actually fighting a smile. "As a servant, I see. Well, I can always write you a letter of recommendation if you're so worried I might kick the bucket too soon."

Zero smiled, too. But it disappeared quickly when he realized how ironic that would be and… how truthful it might become in the near future. He looked around the room trying to find something to change the topic, when his eyes once again rested on the throne. It stood quite magnificently in the center of a dais at the end of the room, not far from where they both stood. Zero decided to use the chance to inspect it more closely and walked towards it.

It was made from solid dark wood with gold ornate decoration. Even if it looked quite lean Zero had no doubt that thanks to all those gold parts even the strongest vampire would have trouble moving it. It might have been uncomfortable to sit on if not for the dark red cushioning. To put it simply, it was strong yet delicate at the same time, the sole symbol of power of this country. The hunter smiled, he thought it suited Kaname. He reached out to touch it but stopped himself in time.

"Can I?" Zero looked up at the pureblood.

Kaname who has been watching the ex-human's inspection in amusement nodded silently.

Zero didn't need any more encouragement as he touched the throne. His hands were hesitant at first, but soon he was eagerly tracing the golden patterns, admiring the craftsmanship. It was probably his imagination but he almost felt a power surging underneath his fingers. He was really lucky, most commoners can't even dream about seeing a throne alive, yet here he was. The hunter decided to hell with it and sat down no matter the consequences.

And it was worth it just for the expression that appeared on pureblood's face. The pureblood literally dropped his jaw, making Zero laugh. Though, very quickly Kaname seemed to overcome his surprise and his expression changed into silent grin. Zero was sure that some teasing will be involved soon, but the pureblood remained silent for the moment, just watching the him with a mysterious glint in his eyes.

The hunter used the moment to look around from his position. The throne room was enormous, probably able to fit in hundreds of nobles. He imagined what it must look like when all those chairs were occupied and all the torches and candleholders lit. So that's what the king sees as he holds a court and passes sentences.

Of course, Kaname didn't stay quiet for too long. The mysterious glint changed into a devilish one as he slowly walked to the throne, leaning towards Zero, whispering. "I don't want to spoil your fun, but I hope you know that for anyone other than the rightful monarch to sit on a throne is punishable by death."

"Okay." The hunter knew that the pureblood was most probably just teasing. Or was he? He stood up a little too quickly, earning a few chuckles from the pureblood. "The view is nice, but not worth my head. You can have it back. There is no need for threats, my lord." He offered the seat to the other vampire with a mock curtsey.

Kaname raised eyebrows but decided to play along. He sat down in a posture that he knew commanded the most authority and turned back to Zero. "Well, while you're at it, you can bring me the crown from that pedestal over there."

For a moment, Zero was once again reminded of the time they first met, but this time he knew Kaname was just playing with him. Seeing how natural Kuran looked, the hunter swore the royal kids must be trained form young age to know how to sit on a throne like that that. The hunter was now interested how would the pureblood look like with a crown on his head. He had never seen Kaname to wear one, but it was probably because there wasn't any real official occasion for him to wear it yet.

Curious, Zero walked over to the pedestal and looked at the golden crown that has been resting there on a cushion. It was quite different than what he imagined. As kids, Zero and Ichiru often listened as their mother read them fairy tales from an old children's book. He remembered there had been a picture of a king on the cover. The fairy tale king wore a big and tall golden crown with a lot of emeralds imbedded in it. Sure it was just a book for kids, but since then Zero thought that's what crowns were supposed to like. Compared to it, this one looked tiny. It was just a gold circlet with engraved ornaments. Though it was still beautiful, just not what he imagined.

"I thought it would be bigger with a lot of gemstones and stuff." Zero voiced his thoughts aloud and heard Kaname's amused chuckle.

"Sorry to disappoint you. It's just a boring, simple crown. I think that what you had in mind is a coronation crown. It's only used at coronation ceremonies. Plus, it's too heavy and too invaluable to be worn daily, not to mention I would look silly in it."

That made Zero snort as he walked back to the throne. Of course, leave it to the pureblood to worry about looks first. Kaname reached for the crown Zero was holding, but the hunter didn't let him.

"No. Let me." He answered to his curious gaze and leaned over the pureblood, putting the golden circlet on his head carefully, making sure he didn't disturb the brown locks.

"There you go." Zero looked at his handiwork, his hands stilling around the other's face. "It suits you, my king." Looking at him now, Zero had to admit that Kaname really was quite a beautiful man.

Maybe it was because of the pureblood's blood in him, or maybe there really existed some attraction between them, but Zero felt suddenly very unwilling to let go of the other's face. He gazed down into deep, dark eyes bellow. If he really ends up killing this man one day…then, then…what?

On a sudden impulse, Zero lowered his face and kissed the pureblood. Somewhere in the back of his head there was a voice shouting at him that he had completely lost his mind, but he paid it no mind.

Kaname stilled at first, then breathed a sigh as if he had been waiting for that little gesture a long time. He grabbed Zero's collar to draw him closer and the hunter had to put one knee on a throne to keep his balance. Any closer and he would end up sitting in the pureblood's lap. But Kaname seemed to be satisfied with their closeness as it was for the time being and started concentrating his efforts elsewhere - like parting the other's lips. Kissing the other in earnest.

With only a moment of hesitation Zero let him in. He felt as Kaname's warm, strong tongue entered his mouth and met him half way through, moaning at the sensation. He didn't know that just kissing could be this stimulating. Zero felt the heat rising in his body and he wanted, no _needed_ to feel more._ Much more_. His hands quickly left the pureblood's face as they started tracing the other's neck in desperate search, finally stopping at his chest. The hunter's fingers struggled desperately, trying to untie the pureblood's coat to feel the warm skin below, but the knots refused to give under him. Zero cursed Kaname inwardly for wearing such complicated clothing.

The pureblood didn't seem to have this problem and his hands found their way under Zero's tunic quite easily. One warm hand stayed at his lower back to keep the ex-human in place, while the other lingered on his stomach, trembling in anticipation as if deciding whether to go up or down. Settling for the way up, Kaname traced the hunter's toned stomach with slow deliberation, feeling the other's muscles quiver under his touch. He felt that Zero's struggle with his coat seemed to become even more desperate and decided to help him out, mentally tugging at the complicated knots.

Managing to untie it at last, the hunter groaned in thanks as his hand dived into Kaname's coat to feel the warmth beneath. He was in such feverish hurry that his nails scraped over one of the pureblood's nipples. Kaname hissed at the sensation, but it didn't seem to be from pain. Zero decided to do it again, this time a little more deliberately, which earned him a deep groan from the pureblood.

Kaname had just about had it. He pulled the ex-human fully onto his laps and tugged onto his tunic to drag it over his head. But before he could get any further a loud blast reverberated through the castle, making them both stop dead in their tracks.

"What was that?" Zero asked, his breath labored from their activates.

"Dammit." Kaname cursed as he realized what it was. "It's the sound of a blowing horn. The first guests must have arrived." He was not happy at the timing, not happy at all.

They both reluctantly straightened to their feet and started adjusting their clothes. Once enough blood seemed to return to Zero brain, his eyes widened at realization of what they were just doing, where they were doing it, and what more they were about to do. And the worst part was he was the one who started it all. The hunter flushed deeply in embarrassment, already berating himself. Yet there was a tiny little part in him that regretted they didn't get further. It was a very small part and Zero squashed it quickly.

He looked over at Kaname and watched him trying to tie his coat back up in hurry. The knots were made so they could be tied only from inside thus hiding the seams. That's why the hunter had such trouble to undo the coat in the first place. It was even trickier to tie them yourself, mentally or not.

"Here, I'll do it." Zero took pity on him and came closer to the pureblood to help him. He kept his head lowered to hide his blush. Plus, he was afraid that he might get any more stupid ideas while being this close to the other vampire.

After that, the hunter quickly smoothed out the last creases on pureblood's clothing and adjusted his crown. At last, Zero nodded at him that he was set to go. Kaname looked like he wanted to say something, but the blowing horn sounded for the second time, reminding him that there was quite urgent business he had to attend. The hunter was grateful for that. He needed some time to collect himself.

But no such luck. On his way out the pureblood stopped midway. "I take it you decided to accept my offer from yesterday?"

"Go already!" Zero nearly shouted instead of the answer, turning quickly to hide his blush from the other vampire. He knew he would regret entering the throne room. He wanted to scowl but his face muscles refused to cooperate with him and a he had to actually fight a smile. He really lost his mind.

* * *

After managing to calm himself quite considerably Zero realized he still had some free time before the ceremony. Not wanting to be alone with his thoughts, he decided to visit Yori to keep himself distracted. He hadn't seen the girl much lately. As a gardener she was helping out with flower decoration at the castle for past few days, but as far as the hunter knew, the flower arranging was all finished yesterday. Zero supposed she would be resting today and headed towards her cottage. As he knocked on the door he hoped that the cold air already took care of his flushed face. He schooled his features, trying not to think about what happened in a throne room not that long ago.

"Ah, Zero, great. Are you free? Care to join me?" Yori blurted out instead of greeting.

"Join you with what?" The hunter asked confusedly.

"You'll see. It would be fun."

And that's how they ended up camped out on the northern wall, watching the proceeding bellow. Yori even brought some snacks so they could make themselves comfortable. Thus they sat down, their feet dangling from the side of the wall and a plate of snacks between them. This part of wall had the best view of the main courtyard and they could watch the guests as they all stepped out of their expensive carriages in their expensive robes, accompanied by various guards and servants. You could tell how important the arrivals were by the amount of carriages or servants they brought with them.

Some of the soldiers guarding the walls scoffed at their antics but otherwise let them be. They melted considerably when Yori started sharing their snacks with them, too. Some of the more friendly ones even started offering their own amused comments as they passed by them.

Zero listened as Yori was describing that the tanned looking man who just brought with him at least a dozen carriages was the ambassador of the southern empire, judging by the symbol of sun on their banners.

The hunter looked at the stranger's robe that looked like it was made from liquid gold and his guards with golden cloaks. He wondered how much money just one piece of gilded armor cost. "Are you sure it's not the emperor himself?"

"Yes, most of the royalty doesn't visit each other in their homelands for fear of being betrayed and backstabbed. No, they usually choose some neutral grounds for important meetings, preferably in completely different kingdom where the third, unrelated party can overlook their dealings." She mused. "But that man seems important enough, it might be one of his sons."

Zero glanced at Yori amusedly. "You seem quite well informed."

"Well I used to sneak here with Yuuki quite often. She explained to me a lot. It seems that all aristocrats must learn every little fact about all important noble houses from young age. Too bad Yuuki is quite indisposed tonight. She could have probably told you more." She nodded towards courtyard, where Yuuki and Kaname made an appearance to greet the ambassador.

This guest must have been really important since even the king himself went out to greet him personally. The hunter watched their exchange closely, both parties exchanging pleasantries.

Soon his horses and carriages were taken care of by numerous servants and ambassador himself led into the castle, but both Kurans stayed outside. The reason became apparent soon enough.

This time the convoy was not so large in numbers but it still looked pretty impressive. But what caught Zero's attention the most was their banners. It was the same symbol and color as that one different banner inside the ceremony hall. This must have been Yuuki's fiancé. He watched as the servants opened the doors of the most expensive looking carriage and two men stepped out. Both had the same shade of blond hair, but one of them was considerably taller and older. Men bowed before the king and kissed Yuuki's hand. When it was the younger's male turn to kiss princess' hand Yuuki blushed so deeply they could see it even from the wall, where they sat. So the younger one was supposed to be her future husband. Zero was glad, there was just something about the older one he didn't like.

Even Kaname gave both men a little bow.

"How typical, kissing councilors' asses." One of the soldiers complained suddenly.

"Shut it. Do you want sound like you're a part of rebellion or something?" Another guard quieted him down quickly.

"Huh." Listening to those guards' bickering Zero thought for a moment that Kaname glanced briefly in their direction. But the pureblood's expression didn't change and he continued speaking with the councilor, so the hunter dismissed it as his imagination. They should be far enough to be heard by anyone down on the courtyard.

"And that would be so bad? If the king wishes it I would gladly kick the council's asses out of this country for him." The first guard still didn't seem to give up.

"Careful, soldier. Don't flap your tongue too much or you might lose it." A third man appeared behind them suddenly. Zero recognized that voice. It was the captain of the guards. The hunter had seen him on several occasions with Kaname.

A series of '_captain_' echoed around the wall as all soldiers straightened their postures quickly and greeted their leader. With last stern look at the audacious guard, Kain continued on his way further along the wall. Passing by, he nodded towards Zero also recognizing him.

Only a few more guests arrived after that and soon the proceeding seemed to near its end. It was almost time for Zero to go prepare for his serving job when one last carriage arrived. It looked very humble, even its horse seemed quite plain looking compared to other nobles. But the most unusual was that Yuuki suddenly started running and hugged the person who just stepped out of the carriage. Few moments later, Kaname also came to greet the man, even offering a polite little smile which was quite unusual since the pureblood always kept his expressions firmly neutral when dealing with strangers. That certainly picked the hunter's interest.

"Who's that man?" He decided to ask Yori about the stranger.

"That's count Cross, princess Yuuki's former custodian."

* * *

A/N:

I think that both Kaname and Zero can no longer deny they might be in love with each other. What do you think? *wink*

The long awaited full lemon is right around the corner... just need to write a few scenes before that could happen, but it should be in the next chapter. That said I wonder what your preferences are concerning our boys. Who do you prefer as the dominant one? Though, I am mostly decided at least for the next lemon, I am pretty versatile when this pairing is concerned. I like both Kaname/Zero and Zero/Kaname so I might keep playing with their roles_ if_ the story allows it.

Also this chapter had a lot of foreshadowing. I wonder if you can guess. Something was quite obvious, something less.

But most importantly, **thank you** for all those who reviewed, favorited or added the story to alerts! Especially big thanks to those that took time to review some of the earlier chapters or even all of them.

**You are all awesome!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: A whispered confession**

The herald standing in by the main entrance cleared his throat and the whole hall became quiet all of sudden. The slow string music as well as the guests' chatter has stopped abruptly and everyone's attention turned towards him. The engagement ceremony was beginning.

Zero straightened his posture quickly. He was standing with other servants at the side of the large hall, the tables in front of them empty as all the guests were still standing in front of them. Everyone was waiting for the would-be fiancé to arrive.

The king was standing in the middle of the room with the council members right behind. Yuuki was right next to him, her hand on his arm. She was wearing a beautiful long beige dress, her hair decorated with small pearl tiara. Kaname too was wearing his crown and Zero realized that the pureblood was probably wearing it ever since Zero put it on his head back in the throne room. The hunter quickly looked down self-consciously as he remembered what followed after that, missing the brief glance the king sent his direction.

Kaname was surprised to see Zero among the serving staff. He thought the ex-human would be glad to have a day off, but he suspected that it had to do something with Yuuki, because ever since upon seeing the silver haired vampire she had relaxed considerably. She must have asked him to come. The pureblood frowned, he knew they were friends and he was glad that Yuuki had another person she confided in beside that gardener's girl, but he wasn't sure how he felt about them getting too close.

But now was not the time to think about it he reminded himself as he glanced back to the entrance where the young herald still stood waiting. Kaname placed his palm over Yuuki's smaller one in a protective gesture and nodded at the boy to begin.

The herald cleared his throat and announced: "Lord Takuma of the House of Ichijou!"

A blond vampire with a kind smile stepped in, followed by two varlets carrying an ornate chest. He was wearing his best clothes and code of arms on his cape belonging to his noble house was clear for everyone to see. Takuma walked slowly right in front of the royal pair and knelt. Two young knights dressed in same colors as him stayed shortly behind.

"Your Majesty, I humbly bow in presence of your esteemed presence. As your obedient subject I must most earnestly ask Your Majesty's permission to marry the princess Yuuki of the House of Kuran."

Takuma beckoned to his varlets to put down the ornate chest. They opened it before bowing, too. The chest was full of gold and pearls and various other treasures that made the surrounding nobles gasp.

"Please accept this humble offering as a token of my loyalty to the House of Kuran. As her husband I will cherish and love Yuuki and make sure no harm befalls her. This I promise on the honour of the House of Ichijou." He looked up in Kaname's eyes and added. "And on my life."

There was a moment of silence and everyone looked at the king, awaiting his answer. The pureblood stayed silent for a few pregnant seconds, making even Yuuki look up worriedly at her brother. Finally, with a sigh Kaname took Yuuki's hand fully into his and led her closer to Takuma. He beckoned for the blonde noble to stand up and offered the princess' hand to him, his expression solemn.

The pureblood put his palm over their joined hands and recited. "Lord Takuma of the House of Ichijou, you have my permission and your kings' blessings."

A wave of applause rose up from the crowd. Kaname was keeping his posture completely neutral and he might have fooled everyone else, but to Zero it strangely seemed more like the pureblood was struggling internally. As if he would rather bite his tongue off than give his consent. And the pureblood's bearing turned slightly darker when one of the councilors stepped out.

"And the council shall be your witnesses." The old Ichijou announced with a smug smile plastered on his face. He gestured with his hands towards the crowd dramatically, earning himself another wave of applause.

The newly-engaged pair, still hand in hand, headed toward the table. It was the first one on the left from the king's table. It was also the one Zero was serving at, along with three other servants. The rest of the table consisted of Yuuki's ladies-in-waiting and Takuma's varlets and some other knights bearing the symbol of the Ichijou house. The decoration in Kuran red and Ichijou white colors.

The couple waited for the king to sit down first before settling down, the guests following shortly. And soon, all the other chairs in the room were occupied as all the nobles in the room found their places. The only empty seat was by Kaname's right. The seat that used to belong to the queen was left intentionally unoccupied.

The musicians started playing their quiet melody again and it was time for the courses to be served. Just as other servants, Zero too was more than busy enough, but he still tried to keep an eye on Yuuki from time to time. She seemed to be conversing quietly with her fiancé, or more accurately she blabbed nervously while Takuma smiled attentively. Both had a hint of blush on their cheeks. Zero had to admit that Takuma looked like a kind, honorable man so unlike his grandfather. As far as future husbands were concerned, the princess seemed to make a good choice.

Still, was it really her own choice? Was this really what Yuuki wanted or was this just some attempt of her to repay Kaname? The ex-human frowned as he remembered their conversation in Yuuki's chambers. He would gladly ask her again, but he had to keep a formal act. Though, he got his opportunity soon enough.

Zero was leaning down to pour the princess another glass, whishing he could just tell her to slow down on the wine and just as he was about to walk away, Yuuki caught his hand, stopping him from retreating. She gave a quick glance around to see if anyone was paying them attention. It seemed to be the air was clear for now.

"Zero, I wanted to thank you for being here. It is nice to see at least some friendly face around." She whispered quietly.

"Is it really okay, Yuuki? Is this really what you want?" Zero had to ask. He looked her in the eyes to let her know she had a choice. He will make sure of that.

She hesitated only a second before answering firmly. "Yes, it was my choice."

Zero nodded in understanding. She was decided. Though, a part of him felt a little uneasy thinking that in a month from now she will be marrying someone. He almost felt she is too young, too innocent for things like this. To be thrown like that into court politics…

The hunter quickly looked around to make sure no one saw their little exchange. The only one that seemed to notice was Takuma who apparently witnessed their whole exchange. Zero froze for a moment, thinking he was in quite a trouble. Surprisingly, the blonde vampire's look was just curious and smiled sympathetically. _Surprisingly…_ because any other noble born man would probably get offended seeing some low level vampire to be so familiar with their fiancé. Thinking that Takuma was indeed a very unusual vampire, Zero left to attend to other guests.

Around the time the deserts were served the group of actors and comedians dressed in various peculiar costumes and masks appeared in the middle of the hall and started with their performances. Zero had to admit they were quite talented. The musicians joined them quickly, adding appropriate sounds to certain scenes. The court jester tried to drag some of the nobles into the play and generally made fun of the most stuck up looking guests. Soon, the hall was full of laughter and applause.

Zero had to fight not to show his amusement as not to offend anyone and he wasn't alone. You could see that other servants' mouths were twitching, though they all kept their faces professionally neutral.

The only table the jester avoided has been the king's. Not only because one had to be extra careful when trying to make fun of the monarch himself, but mainly because Kaname wasn't emitting exactly the friendliest aura. The pureblood was trying to hide it, keeping his expression neutral and from time to time nodding towards the performers to signal them it was okay to continue with their antics, but the fact that he wasn't in the best of the moods was quite obvious.

The other nobles at his table generally avoided talking to him. The only one as if oblivious to the king's disposition seemed to be count Cross who happily chattered and tried to engage Kaname in conversation.

Though, Yuuki's table wasn't so lucky when the jester appeared at their table suddenly. "My beautiful, beloved princess, what are you doing marrying this foolish looking man? You're truly breaking my heart." He said with a theatrical sob and kissed her hand lovingly, earning a few embarrassed giggles from Yuuki.

"My dear, dear princess, at least give me this one last kiss. At least a little smack on the lips." Pursing his lips and still holding her hand, the joker leaned closer to her, making Yuuki back away, blushing even more.

Though, his little jesting was suddenly interrupted when the king cleared his throat. It was a small gesture but carried a lot of meaning. Everyone stilled for a few seconds. The jester too quickly stopped his charade and looked up towards the main table.

Kaname's posture seemed relaxed, his head in his hands and his expression neutral and he didn't say anything else, but the jester understood very clearly. He had overstepped his boundaries.

The joker quickly stepped away from Yuuki and bowed towards the king in obvious apology. But to ease the sudden tension around the room he tried to play it off casually. He was after all a professional performer. "My princess it seems even fate itself is against our love. Oh, what am I going to do? Fortunately, there are many lovely ladies here, though all are inferior to your beauty, princess Yuuki."

He looked around, his eyes setting one another lovely lady. "What about you, Lady Ruka? Will you let me melt your icy heart? You have still yet to choose your husband, haven't you?"

Zero shook his head and turned away. He had seen enough and for once he was glad that he could use all those empty dishes he gathered as an excuse to get away from all this craziness. The last thing he saw before slipping away through servants' entrance was Lord Kain standing up and heading towards the jester in order to protect Lady Ruka's honour, but Zero didn't stick around to see how it all ended.

He used the side entrance and headed through the small servant's passage behind, that led towards the kitchens. The hunter put down the dirty dishes and was about to pick up a tray full of new refreshments when he heard someone call him.

"Kiryuu Zero, isn't it? Can I speak with you for a minute?"

Zero quickly turned towards the speaker only to see a face he expected the least. It was count Cross. That strange man he saw earlier with Yori. The ex-human nodded hesitantly.

"That's splendid!" The man's face lit up with quite an enthusiastic smile. "But could we perhaps find some place a little bit more quiet?" The man gestured towards their surroundings.

Zero glanced around noticing they were already drawing quite an attention. The other servants, while still busily running around, were sending curious looks in their direction. This was no place for a noble man to be wandering around, not to mention to come here on purpose in order to talk to one of the serving staff.

"This way, my lord." Zero motioned further down the hallway where he knew was an old, unused storage room. But before they could reach it, Cross grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"This should be enough." The man pointed towards another empty room on the side.

Reluctantly, Zero followed him inside. They didn't walk far away enough to be out of earshot, though the strange aristocrat didn't seem to mind. The reason for the man's easiness was clear quickly enough when Cross shut the door and started drawing a strange symbol on the door. Zero felt a very familiar sensation and his eyes widened… the hunter's charm? What the…?

"Now, no one should hear us." Cross nodded in satisfaction. He turned around, noticing the boy's tensed features. "Oh, there is no reason to be alarmed. I only want to talk." The man smiled kindly, confusing Zero even more.

Cross' smile turned solemn for a moment. The silver haired boy didn't look very convinced. Instead, he stayed focused, as if ready to fight if necessary. Cross decided some explanation was needed. "My name is Kaien Cross. Yagari is a close friend of mine, though Touga might not see it the same way nowadays."

The man leaned against the nearby wall and continued. "You probably don't remember, but I used to visit your house quite often when you were just a little boy." Cross gestured to show a height a little over his knees with a nostalgic expression. "You and Ichiru were such cute kids."

At the mention of his twin brother, Zero growled. "I don't care who you are, just tell me what do you want from me? Are you here to stop me?" The ex-human stepped closer his posture even more threatening, but the man played oblivious.

"Aw, Zero you're not cute at all now when you're all grown up." Cross said with quite a theatrical whine. Thought, he sobered quickly, his expression once again serious. Zero was amazed how much expressions the man managed to make in such a short time.

"But yes, you could say I came here with the intention to stop you." Cross finished.

Zero shifted slightly, comforted when he felt cold sensations from the silver dagger still hidden in his high boots. _If it came to the fight…_ The atmosphere in the room darkened considerably. "I know you. I've heard about you. You are obviously a human, a hunter even, yet you were allowed to keep your noble title after the war… you're the one they call the Vampire without Fangs, aren't you?"

Cross grimaced bitterly in response. "If I am the _Vampire without Fangs_ than that would make you the _Hunter with fangs_."

Zero growled at that, not liking it a bit and Cross raised his hands in placating gesture. Had the boy always been so quick to anger? "There is no need to be this hostile. I just wanted to tell you that I know quite well what's your mission here, what you and Touga are trying to do. It's quite amazing that you made it this far… Kuran Kaname is not a very trusting person, but for some reason he seems to trust you."

Cross tilted his head as he regarded the boy for a moment. "I don't think you are such a good actor that you can fool even the pureblood's instincts? You used to be such a kind-hearted kid, that kindness must be still somewhere deep inside you, even if you hide it well..."

Zero opened his mouth to protest, but he didn't get the chance to interrupt Cross

"What I am trying to say is that for you to make Kaname trust you this much, there had to be at least some true feelings involved…"

"… And that's what I'm counting on. If there's even the slightest doubt in you that what you're planning to do - who you are planning to kill isn't right, then please don't do it."

There was a long pause as Cross waited for an answer, but Zero didn't offer any. Yet Kaien could see that at least some of his words must have gotten through, when the boy eased his aggressive posture and instead crossed his arms, his frown deepening into the scowl. He took it as a good sign.

"Zero, you have to realize, you're just a pawn in a very dangerous game. A pawn, that doesn't even know the rules, yet has the power to decide everything. If you kill Kuran you'll create only a chaos that will most probably turn into another bloodbath that was the vampire-human war. You're just playing into the hands of other powerful vampires that don't want to support Kaname's peaceful agenda anymore that believe that humans should be enslaved…"

"Is that really what you want? Is this all you're willing to risk just for the sake of a something as petty as revenge? If you can't kill Shizuka, will any pureblood will? Is that it?"

Zero shook his head in denial, but stopped when he realized… wasn't that exactly how he felt when he accepted the mission? Yet when did his feelings change?

Zero ran his hand through his hair. He felt so confused right now.

Cross could see his words had moved the boy, though what he couldn't see was that his words might have an opposite effect, or did they? He turned towards the door, but before he walked out he turned to Zero for the last time. "Do you really believe Kaname deserves to die? Is he really such a bad person? You're a clever boy, Zero. I'll let you figure out the answer for yourself."

With a wave of a hand Cross released the charm and opened the door. "Just please, make the right decision." _Or I'll have to stop you even if it means killing you. I can't risk another war._

And with that, he left the boy alone to think. And Zero had _a lot_ of to think about.

To say the encounter with count Cross left an impression on Zero would be quite an understatement. The ex-human started pacing here and there in the small room.

Zero felt as if he had been slapped, as if he woke up from a long dream. He had been slowly forgetting his real purpose here, his real mission. But the encounter with Cross opened his eyes. Zero wasn't here to play an obedient servant for some pureblood and… yet here he was, so prepared to abandon his mission, betray his family and for whose sake? Yuuki and Kaname's? For the sake of two _purebloods _- the beings that brought only dead and misery to the world and more importantly, that had the power to turn humans into the vampires. _Like Shizuka had._

But as much as he wanted, Zero couldn't convince himself completely, that Kaname and Yuuki really deserved to die. Not anymore. Wasn't this exactly what Yagari had warned him about all those years ago, when he lost his eye? Saying, that Zero was too trusting, too easily swept away by vampires charm and vampires knew how to use this weakness to their advantage so very well. Was he so charmed by Kaname's personality that Zero forgot who he was… what his mission was? He shouldn't have forgotten that. He was a hunter, not some ex-human happily serving his pureblooded master.

That little exchange with Cross reminded Zero very clearly where he stood… what he came here to do, what he was born to do. He was a hunter first and foremost. But was there still time to finish his mission or will Cross tell Kaname? Was his cover blown? What should he do?

Zero stopped abruptly and leaned against the wall, head in his hands. _Was it really all over? What should he do? Kill Kaname and fulfill his mission… his purpose as a hunter?_

Zero refused to let the fear completely overtake him. He had to calm down and start thinking rationally. Cross didn't seem like he was about to run to Kaname and tell him everything right that moment. He gave Zero a choice after all. There was still some time left to act.

His head spinning, Zero stayed in the empty room for a good half an hour, trying to come up with some plan. He would gladly take much longer, but he knew his absence in ceremony hall would be noted soon. Reluctantly, he returned to his duties, praying to all deities that he still had some time.

Zero started serving his table as if nothing was wrong. At least, he tried to appear completely normal, but he knew he was failing. He glanced at his shaking hands. He needed to calm down, his heartbeat was elevated and he was pretty sure some of the guests had already noticed. Few of them were already sending him puzzled looks, others watching him with a predatory glint in their eyes. Each a stinging reminder to Zero what vampires were really like. How could he had forgotten? He needed to get out of here, now.

Fortunately at that time only a handful of nobles still remained at his table. Most of the vampires were busy dancing or visiting guests' elsewhere. Even Yuuki and Takuma were missing, probably also at the dance floor, though Zero didn't care enough at that moment to really check. He was just glad the princess wasn't here or she would immediately know something was amiss with the ex-human and would have insisted for Zero to tell her what was wrong.

There wasn't much need for waiters anymore and most of them were unengaged, just standing nearby in case anyone needed something. At this rate no one will notice one ex-human disappearing…

Zero refilled everyone's glass of wine and made sure all the trays with refreshments were still mostly full, before he decided to use this opportunity to make himself scarce. He quickly headed to the back of the large hall, making sure he kept close to the wall so he wouldn't run to any guests or disturb those few servants that were still busy.

In case this celebration lasted till the morning, the heavy drapes have been hung over all the windows to keep the sunlight out, but Zero knew that here in the back of the hall, among those concealed windows were also a hidden doors to the balcony. Luckily, it seemed that no one else noticed or used them.

The hunter quickly slipped behind the drapes and stepped out, taking a deep breath of fresh air. He really needed some peace and quiet to think.

Though, he nearly choked as he realized suddenly that he wasn't quite alone. When he noticed _who _it was that was actually standing there, his heart speeded up even more.

Kaname turned quickly when he heard the door opening, for a moment thinking that Seiren had finally found him and came here to bring him back to that social melee inside. Though, very soon he realized it wasn't her and he was quite surprised that anyone else managed to find his way to the balcony.

When he saw that it was Zero, the pureblood decided that it was a rather pleasant kind of surprise. Once again they ran into each other. And once again it was when Kaname was getting a little too consumed by his own dark thoughts. Somehow Zero always appeared at the right moment. First the throne room, now here. If Kaname were more superstitious, he might have even called it fate.

And judging by the ex-human's expression, Zero was as much surprised to run into someone as the pureblood was. Kaname raised his eyebrows at how pale the boy looked and decided to hold back his questions and let him talk first.

Zero gulped loudly. He was trying to escape from his problems for a while, not to head-on crash into one. He cursed inwardly. Why was Kaname here of all places? He tried to come up with something to say… anything.

"Um… what are you doing here, my lord?" Zero started but decided that he wasn't really in a mood to be too formal and added with a smile that was as much forced as it felt. "Don't tell me, you are actually hiding here?"

The pureblood frowned at the anxious disposition Zeros still seemed to be in, but he dismissed it as a work related stress and for now decided to concentrate on the question. Of course, Zero had correctly guessed Kaname's real designs. The pureblood really was tired from seeing all those conceited faces out there. From all these people trying to get acquitted with him or worse, tried to earn his favor.

"What can I say, you caught me." Kaname raised his hands in mock surrender. "But I'm not really the one in the center of attention today. Yuuki is." He finished with a mix of relief and worry.

Zero still didn't move away from the door, looking very nervous, as if he was getting ready to bolt any minute and Kaname decided he didn't like it a bit. It was time to help the boy relieve some of the stress. He waved his empty wine glass. "What about you bring me a new glass of wine? And bring yourself one, too. You seem like you need it." The pureblood ordered and smiled. "Then, we can both hide here from the outside world together."

Zero nodded, glad he had some excuse to get away from the pureblood. He was more than relieved to have more time to compose himself.

The hunter quickly crossed the celebration hall and once again walked towards the servant entrance on the side. He didn't walk all the way to the kitchens, instead Zero headed to the room before it. Inside were long rows of counters and tables where cooks left plates with various foods and refreshments for servants to just grab. Zero took two clean glasses, pouring some wine into them from the nearest wine jar. Just as he was about to walk back a thought occurred to him.

This was actually it… If he was really going to do something, _this_ was the ideal opportunity. It was time to fulfill his purpose as a hunter.

Maybe if Zero wasn't so panicked and taken aback from his encounter with Cross, this wouldn't even come to his mind. But now, he was too shaken to really act rationally.

Zero quickly looked around. For once no one seemed to be around, proving that most of the servants weren't really busy right now and without really thinking about implications of what he was doing, Zero took out a small vial from his side pocket. He had been carrying it for some time now, along with the dagger. He closed his eyes, trying to convince himself this was the right thing to do.

He was a hunter not a vampire. Though, lately he felt like he was forgetting this important fact. Kuran was a pureblood, the same kind of creature that killed his family… the same kind that was enslaving others, humans or lower level vampires.

Zero repeated these thoughts in his head over and over to convince the part of him that screamed against what he was going to do. That part of him knew that he was just acting rashly, panicking. It knew that he was just confused and yet, it was all for no avail and with all his might Zero shut that part out.

He was a hunter first and foremost and he had a mission here. Zero had never failed a mission since he became a full pledged hunter and he wasn't going to. He made a promise to himself that he won't let his family or Yagari down ever again, just because his stupid heart had the tendency to sympathize with vampires. Well, not anymore. Cross knew about him and it was only a matter of time before his cover was blown. He looked at the small vial in his hand. _It was now or never._

He poured the poison into one of the glasses. This was what he came to do in the first place.

Zero returned swiftly to the balcony, keeping in mind which glass was whose the whole time. It might only weaken a pureblood, but for the ex-human vampire it would be a deadly dose.

Kaname took the wine glass from him with a complete trust and Zero had to fight a sudden pang of guilt. For one crazy second he had an urge to grab that glass back and throw it over the balcony but… he didn't. He made a decision.

Zero let Kaname talk, too worried and anxious to really participate in an actual conversation. He drowned his own glass relatively quickly in an attempt to ease his own conscience but it didn't help much.

It didn't take long and the pureblood started feeling a little lightheaded. When he was about to head out and get some water, he felt a sudden spell of dizziness and he had to hold onto the railing to keep himself steady. What the… was he drunk? Kaname tried to remember how much he had to drink, but his own thoughts started to get sluggish.

Zero was surprised, too. It wasn't supposed to work this quickly, not until a good amount of time had passed. The plan was to bide his time for a few hours until the pureblood would go to sleep, weakened enough by the poison and wait for him in his chambers. But this was too soon. Just how much wine did Kaname have before Zero found him here?

This was bad. If someone saw the king like that, they might suspect there was something more wrong with him than just being intoxicated. Zero had to do something. And he had to play it convincingly enough to deceit not only the others, but the pureblood, too.

"Kaname are you drunk?" He tried to sound decisively enough. Of course the pureblood wasn't. "Should I help you to your chambers?" Zero suggested, hoping to get the pureblood out of here quickly.

"That's strange… I didn't know I drank so much." Kaname felt his head spinning, his words slurring a little.

He leaned against the ex-human in complete trust and let Zero support him and guide him away.

Zero decided the safest choice was to get away from any possible praying eyes. He avoided going back to the ceremony hall and used the fact they were on first floor balcony to jump down and go through gardens instead to use a different entrance to the castle. Possibly, somewhere close to the royal chambers.

For once the ex-human was grateful for Kaname's pride, because whenever they were close to some guards or servants the pureblood straightened and tried to appear completely normal and they passed without any complications. Still, Zero was quite relieved when they reached the king's chambers. Luckily, they didn't meet Seiren because she would have known immediately that something was wrong with Kaname.

Zero let Kaname lay down on the bed and the pureblood seemed to doze off the moment his back touched the soft velvet covers, nuzzling his head into the pillows.

_This was it._ Feeling his heart in his throat Zero reached towards his boots and took out the hidden, silver dagger slowly. The blade glinted softly in the light coming from the fireplace. This was the only chance he would probably get. Zero positioned himself so he would hit the pureblood's heart directly and swung the dagger down but...

…he stopped suddenly. The blade stayed unmoving a mere inch from the pureblood's chest. He stopped, because at that same exact moment Kaname stirred slightly and whispered the words that somehow managed to turn Zero's convictions once again upside down.

"_Zero, I love you…_" were those whispered words.

"W-what?" Zero's eyes widened. The blade started shaking as his hands became unsteady. He looked up at Kaname's face, his heart beating so loud that he was sure anyone in miles radius must be able to hear him.

Kaname eyes were closed and his expression relaxed in sleep. He was completely unaware that there was anyone in the room with him, probably thinking that even Zero was just a dream. His deep slumber was an after effect of the poison. Though, that didn't stop him from dreamtalking.

"I thought it was just a lust, just a sexual drive, but who am I lying to? I can't tell this to any living soul, not even you Zero. But I think I really fell in love with you…"

"…for me to care so much about an ex-human, imagine that."

Zero couldn't breathe, his chest throbbing. The dagger in his hand felt too hot, too disgusting and he threw it away quickly, the blade clanging against the floor. What was he doing? When did he become a person that would so easily murder someone that trusted him this much and obviously cared for him deeply? Even if that person was a… a pureblood. Was it all just because he panicked? Or was it because he really was blinded by his thirst for a revenge as Cross said?

Zero sat down at the side of the bed, his back turned to Kaname who became quiet again and seemed to doze off more deeply. Zero felt disgusted by himself. Disgusted and abashed. What should he do now? The only thing he was sure of was that he can't kill Kaname, not after this. Maybe, he couldn't do it before, either. Zero felt like failure, like he failed Yagari and his parents and every other hunter, but he just couldn't bring himself to think about Kaname as just another evil pureblood. Not anymore.

What were his options now… pack his things and run? He wasn't going to kill Kaname anymore, yet he couldn't stay here, either. Sooner or later his real identity will catch up with him. The same went for Yagari, Zero failed him, too. He can't go back and just tell his sensei that he wasn't able to fulfill his mission because he started caring a little too much for his target. Whatever he would do now, he would lose the persons he cared about most. His foolishness seemed to cost him everything. Somehow he lost it all.

With his head in his hands and Zero sat there dejectedly. He stayed like that for a long, long time, just feeling lost… he felt like crying. Though, he refused to give voice to the quiet tremors that shook him.

Finally, Zero turned around to look at the pureblood. He touched his face lightly, feeling the warmth of the skin beneath his fingers. Kaname was a beautiful person and not only on the outside. Somewhere during all their time together, Zero learned that simple fact. He had only panicked for a moment and nearly made something unforgivable. If he had killed Kaname Zero wouldn't be able to live with himself.

Zero snorted unamusedly, he really was a failure as a hunter to come and care for some bloodsucker like this. He should leave and never come back. Try to forget everything and everyone, even though he knew he will never forget. He can't even bring himself to face Yagari to tell him he was aborting the mission.

Was this really a goodbye? Zero stroked Kaname's cheek for the last time and he turned to get up…

...But once again a pureblood's voice stopped him.

"Zero, is that you?" It sounded much more coherent than before. Kaname stirred and finally opened his eyes to look at the ex-human. His gaze was still confused but much more lucid.

"You had a little too much to drink and I brought you here." The ex-human answered in a hoarse, defeated tone. He hoped Kaname would go back to sleep quickly.

This was it for him. He had failed. He might as well go pack his things now and hope the pureblood never learns of his true identity. Zero moved to get up. "Good night, Kaname" _And goodbye._

"Zero, what's wrong?" Kaname sensed the other's despondent mood and quickly caught Zero's hand to stop him from retreating. Somehow he felt like he needed to stop the boy, like he would lose him forever if he let go of him now. Kaname's grip on Zero's arm tightened almost painfully. He tugged him closer to have a better look at his face. "Your eyes are red. Have you been crying?"


	13. Chapter 13

**A dream**

"What's going on? Tell me." Kaname asked, still not letting go of Zero's wrist.

"Nothing… it's nothing," the hunter answered curtly and turned his head away quickly to hide his face. He tried to retreat too, but the pureblood's hold was strong and didn't let him.

Zero sighed. The pureblood had the worst time as far as "regaining consciousness" was concerned. _No_, it could have been worse, he could have woken up to the sight of Zero hovering over him with a dagger in his hand. Speaking of dagger… As unobtrusively as possible Zero quickly reached up for the blade with his left foot and kicked it under the bed before the other could even notice. There, that should be sufficient hiding place for now. He turned back to the pureblood.

"Look Kaname, I'm just tired. It was a very long night and I should really go." Zero kept his voice calm but still tried to tug his wrist free to show that he was quite serious in his intentions to leave the room. "We can talk later."

Kaname knew from experience that his attempts to get the boy to open up and talk has been unsuccessful at best and caused the boy to run away from him at worst, so he decided a new tactic was needed. A distraction perhaps?

"Okay if you say so." He released his hold and said innocently - _very innocently_, which made Zero narrow his eyes in suspicion. Kaname was never the type to give up so easily. What was the pureblood planning?

Kaname scooted to the side of the bed and patted the newly created space. "You really do look very tired. Almost as tired as I feel, so why don't you lay down. You can relax here." He smiled as he added: "The bed is big enough for both of us and I promise no more questions for a while."

Zero raised eyebrows at the offer, weighing his options. If he tried to ignore it, the pureblood would no doubt try to find some another very annoying way to keep him here and talking. But if he stayed here, he could delay any serious talks until Kaname falls asleep again. The pureblood looked wobbly and tired. He still hadn't fully recovered from the poison, it seemed, and was willing to drop his interrogation if the hunter stayed here. So why not just indulge him for a while and safely sneak out of the room later.

Deciding to do so, the hunter laid down reluctantly. Zero fought a very strong urge to face away from the pureblood to show him he wasn't very keen with this whole idea of sharing bed, but in the end, he forced himself to stay on his back. What was he doing anyway… still in one room with the man who he was so ready to kill only a moment ago? Who he was supposed to kill and failed…Or _more importantly_, the man who, even though unconsciously, confessed his love to him like a seconds ago!

This might have been a mistake. The hunter closed his eyes and sighed in surrender, hoping the king would fall asleep soon enough.

"That's better." Kaname smiled tiredly. He too eased his posture and settled back down quietly. His body relaxed again.

Zero was watching ceiling above him tensely, waiting for what would happen next. But no further questions were asked. It seemed that for now Kaname decided to keep his promise. After a while, Zero could hear the pureblood's breathing evening and it seemed it won't be long before a deep slumber claims him once more. Zero relaxed, too… Soon, the chance to get out of here unnoticed will come….

Zero thought about what he will do next. He couldn't stay in the castle. That was more than clear. He will probably have to get out of the city, the kingdom even. Zero ignored the pang in his chest at the thought. Well, what then? Maybe he'll go to the south. They say the seas there were of the most beautiful azure color so unlike the grayish waters here. Or maybe he'll head to the east to see if those rumors about the city hidden somewhere in high mountains, where humans and hunters ruled solely were true.

As the time ticked, Zero relaxed even more. This was actually one hell of a comfortable bed. No doubt, the sheets had been made from the best fabrics one could find in all the northern kingdoms. It also helped that the spot he was now occupying had been warmed up by Kaname's body before. Zero could feel the sleep attempting to claim him, but he knew he couldn't afford even a light slumber and he fought the drowsiness the best he could. Though, the struggle was getting harder and harder and eventually… _he dozed off_.

_To say the dream Zero was having was strange would be a huge understatement. He knew it wasn't real, simply because he had no recollection of how else could he get to that place. Zero found himself on the hill overlooking battlefield. Even from this distance he could hear the cries and clashing of sword and other weapons._

_The horse Zero was sitting on felt very familiar and one look confirmed hunter's suspicions, that it was indeed Lily. He himself was also dressed for a battle as he felt a sheathed sword by his side and was wearing something sturdier than was his usual gear. Though, it still couldn't be called armor, but Zero would always prefer it that way. It might not give as much protection as a full-body armor, but it allowed him to move much more quickly and effectively. _

_It was dark already but thanks to the strategically placed bonfires Zero could see just well enough to recognize the figures of hundreds or maybe even thousands of soldiers battling down below. Some of those warriors had already fallen and became a feast for crows, the others still fighting the best they could. There was no other option, for the loss equaled losing their lives, too. _

_Those knights seemed to be of two different banners. The red one's Zero recognized as the color of the house of Kuran, but he had no idea to whom the blue banners with a silver eagle belonged to. With a growing dread Zero realized that the red knights were slowly but surely becoming outnumbered and his eyes started searched frantically for Kaname. Just as he was considering risking riding down the hill to have a better look, he heard them. The sound of horse hooves behind him. Zero turned around only to meet a familiar garnet gaze. _

_The hunter sighed in relief. Kaname too seemed to be dressed for battle. He was in light armor, his long cape bearing Kuran rose fluttered in the wind as the pureblood galloped on his black stallion. There was whole battalion of riders behind him, but they stayed back letting their king have some privacy as he rode up to Zero. The only one still following was lord Kain. _

"_How are the men holding up?" Was the first thing Kaname asked, the moment their horses lined up with the hunter's their gazes following the battle down the hill._

"_It doesn't look good." Zero heard himself saying. He realized he really can't do anything to influence this dream, it was more like watching a memory that already happened. "We're losing." His dream self finished saying. _

"_Well then, it's good the reinforcements arrived just in time." The pureblood put his hand on the hilt of his sword and turned his head to address Kain. "This seems like the right place if we want to flank them. The element of surprise is on our side. Give the men their commands." _

"_Your Majesty, you can't be serious! You're planning to enter the battle, too?" The captain of the guards started protesting. "You can't just march into the battlefield like that, it's too dangerous." _

"_And yet it's not dangerous for those soldiers behind me to march in there, or for those who are already fighting?" The pureblood argued._

"_B-but that's different. These men swore to give their lives for the kingdom, for you… our king." Lord Kain tried again, but he knew he could do little against king's will. He couldn't deny orders. "Please your majesty…you should stay here in the safety. The rulers are not expected to enter battlefields, only to lead them."_

"_Yet I also swore on my life to protect this country and its people. I won't let these men go there alone… the leader should be in the midst of his army." Kaname finished and pulled on the reins of his horse, prepared to ride back to give final orders to his battalion..._

…_but Zero stopped him quickly. "Please wait your majesty! I also think this is insane, you should stay here." The hunter looked over his shoulder to make sure the soldiers were far enough from them so he could talk freely. He also turned to check on the captain of the guards, though Kain had already set his gaze back to the battlefield as if studiously ignoring them. Who was he to interrupt the only man that was able to talk some reason to the king in this situation? _

_Zero was quite grateful for the man's consideration. He put his hand over the pureblood's one that was still clutching the reins. "Please Kaname, I'm begging you…don't do this. Stay safe. Your people need you, Yuuki needs you… I-I need you." _

_Kaname looked down at their hands and smiled gently, intertwining their fingers. "Zero you have to understand, it is something I need to do. These men are my responsibility and as you can see for yourself, they need some serious boost to their morale… and what is better than the king himself riding into battle with them? Moreover, this whole mess…" He paused and shook his head, not seeing the point to go through all the details again and again. "Anyway, don't forget we purebloods are very, _very_ hard to kill… But if it makes it easier for you I promise I'll try to keep safe." _

_Kaname turned towards Kain once again. "Go prepare the men to march, captain."_

"_Understood, your majesty." The captain of the guards nodded and rode away. _

_The pureblood's gaze followed his retrieving back for a while before looking back at the hunter. "Zero, you have you own mission to fulfill." The pureblood shook his head to stop the protests that were already forming on hunter's lips. _

"_Remember, you promised me something and it's time to keep that promise." Kaname squeezed Zero's hand before finally releasing him. "Now go, before I can't hold back this urge to kiss you anymore."_

"Y_ou can count on me, __I'll keep my promise__. And Kaname, I-… just be safe, okay." Zero said his goodbye and watched Kaname ride back to his men. The gentle smile completely gone, the face of the strong ruler in its place._

_Zero spurred Lily and headed the opposite direction from the battlefield. Behind him, he could hear Kaname shouting the orders and words of encouragement to the soldiers… he could hear the men's answering cheers. Too soon he heard the battle cries and sounds of sword clashing as the riders joined the battle. But Zero refused to turn his head, because he felt like if he looked back even for one second, he would give up his promise and dive into the battle to make sure Kaname will be safe._

_The hunter spurred his horse more and rode further and further until he couldn't hear the sounds of battle anymore… And then, as the dream started it ended just as quickly._

_No more visions followed, just a peaceful whiteness as the hunter continued slumbering. _

Suddenly, a feeling of being watched jolted Zero awake. He opened his eyes only to find himself back in the king's chamber. What did that dream mean? It felt so impossibly real, like a memory, yet the hunter was knew nothing like that happened or didn't think it had a chance of happening any time soon. A warning perhaps? Why there would be war and with whom? And why would he be so familiar with Kaname, yet it felt so natural... Anyway, it was a dream and just like any other, it already started fading from Zero's memory.

_Just how long had he been asleep?_ One quick glance confirmed his fears. The room was still dark thanks to heavy drapes, but Zero could see hints of sunlight from behind them. Somehow a few hours must have passed and it was a day already. Zero cursed inwardly. He lost his chance to sneak out of the room, out of this castle while it was still dark.

He turned his head to see if the pureblood was still asleep... No such luck for Kaname was definitely awake. Though, the pureblood was not only fully conscious but propped on his elbow he was watching the hunter intensely. He didn't look tired anymore and seemed much more like himself. The eyes completely rid of the drowsiness gazed down at the hunter sharply.

Zero looked up and their gazes met. For brief instant it seemed like the time itself has stopped. Kaname was looking at him with such a piercing gaze that the hunter almost felt an electric current ran through him. Once more the pureblood's confession replayed in Zero's head. Shaken by the possible meaning behind all of this, the hunter quickly turned his gaze away, breaking the spell between them.

_…Only one look from the pureblood was enough to make him feel so nervous. Only a few words, whispered unconsciously…_

Zero quickly shook himself out of his reverie and searched for any distractions. His gaze roamed around the room, partly to avoid looking at Kaname, partly to find some diversion, when he finally found it.

"You know I always wondered, what is that portrait above the fireplace?" He asked quickly. Sure, Zero had noticed that painting before, but never really gave it much thought... never asked. He was quite grateful for that little fact now.

"A portrait? You mean who is on it?" Kaname looked almost bewildered by Zero's sudden interest.

Zero nodded. It was a picture of a woman - a very beautiful, very regal looking woman. She was dressed in a long dark blue dress that complimented the coloring of her silver hair. The woman was posing on an armchair, her pose straight and face serious with an air of power around her. Beautiful like a doll… yet, on closer look one had to wonder if there was more to her than the picture showed. Her eyes shined brightly, almost playfully and the corners of her mouth had been raised slightly as if she was fighting a smile. A wildness hidden behind a perfect mask of a proper lady.

But the one thing Zero definitely didn't pay enough attention before was a small golden diadem on her head…. a _diadem_… Then it hit him. "Wait, is that the queen?"

Kaname chuckled. "Who else? Do you think me the sort of man that would hang portraits of beautiful unknown ladies on walls?"

Zero snorted at the retort. "Sure. Hanging up portraits of ladies, heavens forbid, even some scantily dressed… One could never know with you nobles. The stories that get passed around in taverns about some aristocrats…" Zero quipped.

"…Might actually be true with some of them." Kaname tallied with his remark, earning an incredulous look from the boy. "You should definitely pay a visit to some of the knights' chambers. In some cases it could prove to be more educative than a visit to the brothel."

"Uh-huh. I think I'll pass." Zero deadpanned.

The pureblood chuckled. "Suit yourself."

But too soon his face turned more serious. Kaname nodded back towards the portrait. "But this is not some kind of easy lady. This is the Queen... _was the Queen."_

Zero wasn't sure what to say to that, but Kaname looked like he had more to add and Zero gladly let him. It seemed the portrait served its purpose as a distraction, but more importantly, he was kind of curious himself. Zero's gaze was automatically drawn back towards the painting. It was like he was seeing it in a completely new light… So this was what the queen looked like.

"It was painted shortly after we found out she was with child." Kaname explained. "You see, we weren't exactly what you would call fond of each other. It was practically love-hate relationship where hate took up a much, much bigger part. Our marriage has been strictly political, but it all changed one day. When we found out she was expecting, it was a complete turnabout for us. Though, the happiness didn't last long and _too soon_ she and our unborn child had been taken from me."

"How did it happen?" Zero asked before he could stop himself. He knew about the assassination, but never really bothered to find out anything more about the circumstances. Maybe he should have, considering what his mission was. What his mission _used _to be, he corrected himself.

Though, Zero realized he was quite rude, prying into someone else's past like that. "I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Kaname smiled gently at him. For a moment that meaningful look was once again directed at Zero. "It's okay. It should be way too long ago for me to be hurt just by talking about her."

"It was a poison, aimed at me…a goblet specifically poured for me, but she had one of her sudden cravings and asked me for some wine, so I passed the cup to her without thinking, without even tasting it myself. Normally it shouldn't be able to kill a pureblood, but because of the pregnancy her system was already weakened and..."

"…It was meant to be me. It was my drink. It should have been me… My carelessness cost me my wife and my unborn child." Kaname finished. He turned to his back, visibly drawing away from the hunter.

"You couldn't have known." This time it was Zero's turn to rise himself on his elbows. It was mostly to keep the eye contact with the pureblood, but small part of him didn't want to lose this feeling of closeness he felt towards Kaname at that moment. However strange it might seem.

"It wasn't your fault."

Kaname sent him a small smile of appreciation. "You're too kind, Zero. You hide it so very well behind that grumpy attitude of yours, but you are…."

"_…another trait that reminded me of he_r." He added quietly. So quietly, Zero almost didn't hear him.

"What did you just say?" The hunter raised his eyebrows. Did he hear right?

Kaname didn't answer right away. He stayed silent for a long moment, as if wondering whether he should really say what he was going to say. Just when it looked that he won't answer at all…

"You know, the first time I saw you, for a moment I couldn't believe my eyes. It was like seeing her, or at least some male version of her, almost like seeing her twin brother. Yet when I interrogated you, it turned out you were just an ex-human, no chance of you being related to her what so ever. It was almost _disappointing_... but still, there was something intriguing about you and that's one of the main reasons I allowed you to stay in the castle. And I am very glad I did." Kaname grinned. "Oh, maybe It's the right time to apologize about being so suspicious of you at our first meeting, one can't be careful enough in the court life."

"Sure." Zero answered tensely. After all, Kaname's suspicions were right on the spot. And the fact that the previous assassination attempt that had been made on pureblood's life was also through poison... it almost made warning bells in Zero's head go off.

"But even now, the more I know you, the more it makes me wonder. You even have the same rebellious spark in your eyes, the same stubborn streak, yet there is this kindness hidden behind the exterior…you even have the same reactions to certain things. Sometimes I wonder…"

Zero sat up fully now, for a moment wondering what the hell was Kaname trying to say or whether the king has really lost his mind or something. All that stuff that happened today, all his worries about his failure as a hunter, about the assassination, even that weird dream…all those things completely forgotten for the moment being. Just what exactly was the pureblood trying to say seemed like bigger concern for now.

Seeing his bewildered expression, Kaname chuckled. "Yes, I know how crazy that must sound. Even I sometimes think that I lost my mind. Yuuki and all her ridiculous stories about fate, and tarot cards, and _past lives_ must have affected me. She had spent too much time listening to those foreign merchants' telltales at the market to my liking. Though, she manages to scare quite a lot of ladies of the court with those witchcraft fables." The pureblood chuckled fondly as he talked about his sister.

Yes, Kaname did once ask Zero if he believed in reincarnation, and the only reason the hunter even knew what the hell was the pureblood talking about was because of one weird eastern monk that took up residence above an old bakery in the city and Zero had heard enough of his stories during his hunter patrols in that district. But the pureblood continued...

"… I don't normally believe in such things. Most probably, it's just my wishful thinking. It has been almost twenty years since she passed and I still miss her. Very much."

"Wait, did you just say twenty years? But aren't you still in mourning or something? Isn't it a little too long?" Zero thought it was only a few years, yet it seemed this all happened before he was even born. Maybe he should have known something like that, but he had no interest in politics before this mission at all. It was not like he had any contact with court life before anyway, since he was just a commoner in this vampire ruled world and the only thing that interested him was that the bloodsuckers were the ones in power.

"Yes, if I were a human. But with purebloods it's different. We live such a long lives, that decades just pass through as if it were mere years. Our mourning period usually lasts thirty years and I can't marry anyone till it's over. That is because losing a bondmate can drive any pureblood insane. Look at Shizuka for example." Kaname smiled in sympathy, when he saw Zero's deep frown at the mention of that name. "Thus, during that time the council keeps an eye on the pureblood to make sure he doesn't go insane. Fortunately, I found my anchor that kept me sane. The reason why I even allowed Yuuki to return to the court life. I just hope it wasn't another of my mistakes that would cost someone close to me dearly."

Kaname looked so sad, so lonely… "Hey, don't get so depressed on me…" before he could stop himself Zero ran his hand through pureblood's hair soothingly. Maybe it was the influence of that weird dream, since they were so familiar there and it somehow felt so very natural.

"You're right, that's enough sadness for one night…let's do something fun." Kaname's expression suddenly turned mischievous and Zero had to admit that he was quite relieved.

The pureblood grinned devilishly. "So Zero, since we are both already in one bed… well then, what do you say to that offer of mine? You know the one where I suggested we make some use of the attraction between us?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Zero rolled his eyes. Yup, Kaname was back to normal.

The hunter tried to stand up but before he could, Kaname managed to grab the hand that was still near his head a pulled the ex-human to him. "You don't know what I'm talking about, huh? Then why did your heartbeat speed up so suddenly?"

"That's becau-" A pair of warm lips interrupted his answer. A few mumbled protests later, Zero returned the kiss in earnest.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: A Vial of Memories**

A speck of light danced playfully on the peaceful features of a sleeping young man's face. When it reached his eyelids, the youth grimaced and lazily peered his eyes open to glare at the little annoyance, looking for its origin. His gaze landed on a strangely shaped glass vial. It was reflecting runaway rays of sunlight that somehow managed to make its way into the room through a crack in between the otherwise tightly shut curtains. Judging by the light's orange hue it was early in evening already. Soon, all the vampires in the castle will be waking up.

The vial in itself was very small in size, perfectly able to fit one's palm. There seemed to be something inside, floating in a liquid, but Zero's mind was still too drowsy to really concentrate on the unknown object. There seemed to be much more concerning matters at hand like where the hell was he? He didn't remember the bed in his own room in servants' building being this comfortable. Not to mention there were no nightstands with strange glass vials standing next to it.

Zero rose to the sitting position, covers sliding from his torso just enough to reveal the fact that he was naked. His hair wild and sticking out in various directions. The hunter rubbed the back of his neck and took a real look around, his sleepiness slowly clearing away.

_Oh, he knew exactly where he was._ There was no mistaking to whom belonged these sinfully soft sheets, not to mention that excessive mahogany furniture, too expensive and pompous to his liking. Zero glanced at the other half of the bed, but the expected occupant wasn't there. The hunter placed his hand on the empty sheets. They were still warm, which meant that it must not have been very long since _the other _left.

Zero clasped the soft fabric in between his fingers as he started to remember fully now. Every touch, every caress came slowly back to him. Such passion… gentle at first but with growing intensity, both willingly losing themselves in the depths of each other.

…

_The pureblood grinned devilishly. "So Zero, since we are both already in the same bed… what do you say to that offer of mine? You know the one where I suggested we make some use of the attraction between us?"_

_"I don't know what you're talking about." Zero rolled his eyes. Yup, Kaname was back to normal._

_The hunter tried to stand up but before he could, Kaname managed to grab the hand that was still positioned near his head a pulled the ex-human to him. "You don't know what I'm talking about, huh? Then why did your heartbeat speed up so suddenly?"_

_"That's becau-" A pair of warm lips interrupted his answer. A few mumbled protests later, Zero returned the kiss in earnest._

The kiss was gentle, yet demanding. Kaname tilted his head to deepen the contact, to get more of that enticing taste. He tugged Zero closer to him with an unquenchable need to feel the other's body warmth, but the hunter didn't seemed so eager and he pressed his palm against the pureblood's chest as if he still played with the idea of resisting… That was completely unacceptable and Kaname growled deep in his throat in warning, his other hand, the one that was not currently grasping Zero's shirt, buried itself in silver locks, further securing the hunter's warm mouth from escaping.

Zero really did intend to resist at first… the wariness and prejudice against all vampires was still ingrained deeply in him. Maybe he will always get this feeling near Kaname. After all, he had been raised as a vampire hunter and there will always be a small trace of guilt mixed in between. If Zero really started caring about this man, if he even dared to fall in love with this creature, he will be betraying his whole heritage and yet, the hunter couldn't deny anymore that it also seemed right… so right and natural, as if he was waiting for this one moment his whole life. This one point in time, when he will get to know his touch, his warmth. Zero had no idea he could feel like this towards anyone. Was that what they called love? _No, it can't be_… can it?

However, if it felt so good, then what they were doing surely cannot be wrong, right? _'Surely not,'_ the hunter decided and his hand placed on pureblood's chest, so prepared to push him away earlier, was now slowly but surely changing into a strong grip, as if ensuring he won't lose this contact any time soon.

Sensing his decision, Kaname hummed approvingly. Without breaking the kiss he released his secure hold on the silver locks and started to concentrate on more important matters, like getting Zero out of that tunic and cusualy throwing it to the ground.

The hunter, too, didn't stay behind for very long. This time, he didn't have to struggle so much with the pureblood's knots. Maybe, it was thanks to the fact that some of them began to untie themselves as soon as Zero dived his fingers underneath the expensive fabric. He grinned into the kiss, muttering something about sly purebloods, before he finally managed to get Kaname out of his upper garments, discarding them just as leisurely.

At last, they parted for air, their lips deliciously swollen and the ragged breaths mingling as they sat facing each other closely. Two sets of eyes met… lilac to garnet and garnet to lilac. Both completely lost in the other's depths, just quietly gazing deep into each other's souls for a long while.

Kaname cupped Zero's face lovingly, his lips forming into a seductive smile. "Do you remember now?"

The hunter almost chuckled at the unexpectedness of that question. Really, the pureblood could be so stubborn sometimes. Well, Zero could be stubborn, too and he didn't say anything right away, even if he already knew his answer. Biding his time, the hunter pulled at one dark brown lock teasingly, running his hand through them, watching them settle back with interest. For some reason he liked the pureblood's hair. They were the kind of hair that somehow managed to always look kempt and yet, there was this unmistakable wildness hidden beneath in a way the tips kept their natural waviness.

The garnet eyes never stopped watching him, not even for a moment straying away from his face. The gaze carried so much meaning it was making the hunter's heart skip a few beats. Zero laid his palm on the pureblood's warm chest to feel the strong but turbulent pulse beneath. He was glad that he wasn't the only one affected by all this. It made him feel almost relieved, but more importantly, it gave him the much needed dose of incentive and confidence, because in that moment Zero finally stopped questioning if he lost his mind and decided to give himself fully to the mercy of his heart. And his heart wanted this. _Very much_.

The hunter grinned playfully: "Nope, I still have no idea what you are talking about. But maybe you can help me with that."

"Oh? Then let me refresh your memory." Kaname whispered seductively. In one swift motion, he hooked his arm around Zero's waist, pushing him down easily. However, he didn't follow right away. The pureblood stayed up for a while, just watching, as if he wanted to ingrain that delicious image into his memory. One hand stroked the boy's cheek gently, fingertips caressing the warm skin as if to memorize every crease of that beautiful face.

The hunter indulged the king for the time being, he himself lost in the way the pureblood was looking at him as if he was the most precious thing in the world and at that moment he felt something deep responding inside him, a strong, raw emotion. His mouth parted in an unconscious anticipation and Kaname didn't let him wait for too long. The pureblood lowered himself for another touch of those irresistible lips and time Zero responded without any hesitation. Their lips once again met in a familiar dance.

When they parted again, Kaname decided it was time to move down and with a deliberate slowness, his tongue started following a trail across the ex-human's jaw, slowly, but surely, intending to eventually go lower and lower. Zero raised his arms in response, led by the strong need to feel more of the pureblood's body. He started his own exploration, mapping the heated skin under his fingers, enjoying the way the muscles quivered beneath his touch.

Though, the moment the pureblood got to Zero's neck he felt the boy stiffen quite noticeably. Kaname raised his head looking at the boy's suddenly tense features. He didn't have to be a genius to understand what was wrong. He knew enough about the ex-human's past to rightly guess that Zero might not be very comfortable with another pureblood vampire this close to his throat._ Pity_… but they can definitely work on that later. Things were getting quite urgent and… Well, for the time being, he might as well concentrate his efforts where they will be more appreciated. He quickly moved lower, following the curve of his collarbone with his lips, attentively exploring, tasting each inch of that delicious skin before he was sated and moved lower.

As Kaname got to the ex-human's chest he earned the most delicious reactions. As his tongue laced the hardening buds, Zero hissed, sucking in his breath sharply. His body arched, the undeniable proof of how much he enjoyed that little gesture. The pureblood's mouth teased him a few more times, each earning quite a delightful reaction form the other. He was stopped only by the boy's hand as it locked behind his neck to draw him up again.

Zero had no idea he could be this sensitive in that particular area, but this was one thing he was quite glad to find out about himself. He buried his fingers in the dark locks, tugging at his head, urging the pureblood to break his heated expedition across his body and come closer. The hunter kissed him gently, but thoroughly. It was a reward, and judging by the satisfied groan that vibrated through the king, it was quite clear that his little token of appreciation had been understood and accepted.

After a long while, Zero finally let go of the pureblood who used that opportunity to descent even lower, leaving a trail of kisses down his stomach, each small caress leaving behind a tingling sensation. He continued all the way to his abdomen, this time in a much quicker pace.

Kaname wanted, needed more... right now. Eagerly, he pulled at the string holding the boy's pants, diving his thumb just beneath the hem. Zero gasped at the cold sensation on his exposed skin, especially when it was a place that felt very, very hot at the moment.

However, there was also one other emotion highly present.

"Wait! I…" Suddenly unsure, the hunter caught the other's wrist, preventing him from going further.

Kaname stopped and looked up at him, the garnet eyes warm and reassuring. Zero looked quite endearing when he was uncertain. Yet, there was no denying that the boy was also quite willing. Maybe, that was the actual problem.

"It's okay," the pureblood whispered comfortingly. Slowly, temptingly, Kaname shifted his body more closely to the hunter's, while at the same time grabbing one of his hands and encouraging him to explore even lower.

Prompted by the pureblood, Zero let his palm wander across the contours of the other's stomach and then even lower until he felt a very distinctive bulge. He shuddered at the contact, as if only now realizing what he got himself into, what he was going to do and with _another man_ none the less. But somehow the idea didn't seem so scary or repulsing as he would normally have thought. Maybe it was the hormones speaking, but god help he actually felt excited about the prospect. Excited and relieved that Kaname seemed to be just as affected by all this.

Even if Zero never did anything like that before, just the anticipation was enough to make his mind dizzy with excitement and…lust. The hunter's soft touch very soon turned into a deliberate caress, liking the way it made the purebloods breath quicken rapidly. Thanks to their positions, their faces were so close now that each exhale was stirring hairs on his forehead. Zero tilted his up head to seal their lips with ulterior motive of stealing more of his lover's air.

Kaname groaned in pleasure. He wanted to show Zero that he was not the only one this much affected by all this, though his efforts turned out to be quite a double edged sword as he had to suck in his breath and try not to groan when the ex-human's hand finally slipped into the waistline of his pants and started teasing his member earnestly. Up and down, down and up. Again and again.

The pureblood groaned in warning. If the boy kept teasing him like this he won't be able to hold back much longer. He decided to finally get rid of the last obstacle that was Zero's remaining pieces of clothing, sliding the cloth down his legs, revealing his hard member.

Kaname decided to return the favor and teased the ex-human lovingly watching as the silver head hit the pillow when his back arched. He was already moist to touch with pre cum, but he stopped before he drove the boy completely over the edge. Instead, he used the moisture to probe at his opening, but once again Zero tensed and opened his mouth to protest. This time, the pureblood was having none of that and he quickly stopped any possible protests with a deep kiss. It was also a way to try and make the boy relaxed, because he was too far gone and too deeply involved in this to really stop now, but he was still conscious of trying not to hurt Zero. He wanted to make it as much pleasurable for him, too, because he knew this night would become something to be remembered. For both of them.

Of course, if the hunter really wanted to stop, Kaname would have, even if just the thought was killing him. Fortunately, there seemed to be no need, because he could sense that Zero wanted it just as much and so, pureblood kissed Zero, distracting him while he tried again. He probed the opening, trying to insert his first finger, but he couldn't help but notice the grimace of pain as well as hear the other's sharp intake of breath.

The hunter hissed. Thanks to Kaname's efforts he was getting deliciously lost in passion again, only to be painfully reminded of the reality. He gripped the pureblood's shoulders more tightly, nails almost breaking the skin. It was a warning as well as the means to control the situation. The pleasure was slowly being replaced by discomfort and if it continued like that Zero was not above kicking the other off of him. Or at least trying to…

Suddenly, the hunter realized that he might not be able to that, simply because the pureblood was much stronger than him and if he really wanted… No, Zero shooed those dreadful thoughts away. Kaname wouldn't do that. He wouldn't. This was the first time, Zero was willing to trust a vampire and he refused to be proven wrong so quickly. It also helped that Kaname did indeed stop at the first signs of his discomfort and seemed to be trying to come up with something. Still if this will continue to be this painful, Zero was putting a stop to the whole thing.

Kaname felt the atmosphere was gradually changing, becoming more tense. He tried to quickly think of something else which proved to be quite hard when one had all his blood concentrated in a whole different place. A lotion perhaps? There were some in the bathroom. With a quick thought Kaname brought one over to bed quickly, pouring it on his hands.

Kaname looked up at the ex-human to check on him and for one second he had to fight back an adoring smile. Zero watched him very cautiously and it reminded him of a wild animal, baring his fangs, ready to bite him if he made one another wrong move. Actually, the biting sounded nice to the pureblood, but he was afraid the boy would do more than that.

Thankfully, the lotion turned out to be quite helpful. First finger went in smoothly and second took only a short while to get used to. Kaname watched the ex-human's reactions but except for a few sharp intakes of breath it seemed to be mostly okay.

Zero was well aware of other's scrutinizing gaze and he felt embarrassed, yet also relieved. It seemed that the pureblood really cared about his comfort levels and it made the hunter believe his trust was well placed. It wasn't painful anymore, but to say it was pleasurable would be quite an overstatement. At least not until Kaname seemed to hit just the right spot and Zero gasped when a sudden wave of bliss passed through him.

Being the attentive lover he was, the pureblood repeated the motion, enjoying those seductive sounds that in itself almost had the power to undo Kaname. He didn't give much attention to the third finger as much as he should, but the need to bury himself in that warmth was becoming unbearable and Kaname felt like he surely would go crazy if he waited any longer.

The pureblood hurriedly sat up to slide out of his pants and Zero surprised him when he suddenly followed him to sitting position. The hunter hooked his hands around his shoulders pressing closely to him.

Zero's lips brushed against the shell of his ear as he whispered seductively, "I think my memory is finally getting back. My answer to your question is, yes, I think we should do something about this mutual attraction." He teased, nibbling at the pureblood's ear for a good measure.

Kaname whole body shuddered. He took hold of the boy's waist to help him position himself better, but otherwise didn't push him. He understood perfectly. Zero wanted to have a full control over the situation and if it made him more comfortable Kaname would gladly let him. With his hands shaking form the anticipation, he supported Zero as the ex-human lowered himself and helped him to direct himself to the right position.

Supporting himself on the pureblood's shoulders and guided by his hands, Zero lowered himself slowly, shuddering at the sensation of something quite different and much bigger than fingers against his entrance. He stopped. Was he really going to do this? He really must have lost his mind, but it was too late to turn back. He leaned his head to kiss the pureblood, partly to distract himself and partly to gain more courage. Finally, he moved down, embracing the strange feeling. It was the same as with the fingers, painful at first, than just plain and quite uncomfortable, until he managed to position himself in just the right way, hitting just the right spot. As another wave of pleasure passed through him he repeated the motion, needing to experience that sensation again.

Kaname let Zero do as he pleased, only his breathing quickened by that irresistible feeling of warmth enveloping him. He wanted let the hunter find his own comfort zone, but as soon as he felt Zero was relaxed enough, he added his own motions to start this dance of temptation.

It took a few hit and misses, but soon they managed to find the right pace. Connected deeply only the lovers could be, their chests sliding against each other, they made love to each other deeply and thoroughly.

Zero buried his head in the crook of his partner's neck, nibbling, sucking, helping the pureblood reach his own pleasurable oblivion.

Kaname was deliciously lost. Lost in the way the strong grip, almost possessive, felt near his scalp, lost in the way the boy tasted, lost in the sounds of pleasure he made...

He loved it.

He loved _him_.

Kaname wanted, needed to go even deeper, his pace quickened as he leaned forward, one hand holding Zero's back, the other propped against the bed, supporting them both. The sensations were overwhelming, mind blowing. Kaname had no idea he could feel like this about anyone ever again.

No, what he was experiencing right now went far beyond anything he had ever felt. It was as if their bare souls were connected and judging by the sighs of pleasure and occasional whimper from the hunter, it wasn't just him feeling this way.

Zero was already on the edge but when Kaname shifted their position, the motion in itself alone was nearly enough to drive him over it. The position made him hold more tightly on the pureblood and his nails accidentally scratched his back. Kaname's muscle contracted under his touch, even making a whimper-like sound. Zero rightfully deducted that the pureblood quite enjoyed the feeling of something sharp against his skin and he was not beyond playing with that newly found fact.

He started raking his nails playfully across the pureblood's back, drawing small patterns, enjoying his reactions. As if driven by instincts, Zero started nibbling on the warm skin of the pureblood's neck. Softly at first, then with added pressure that soon was strong enough to cause a hickey. He felt vibrations under his tongue as the pureblood groaned in the back of his throat.

"Zero…" Kaname half groaned, half whispered his name, his voice undeniably laced with pleasure, "please…"

He didn't have to say more. The passion in his tone was clear and it definitely prompted the hunter to continue his ministrations, leaving a track of kiss marks behind. Sadly, they had the tendency to healquickly, but that only convinced Zero to try more eagerly, much to Kaname's delight.

They were both dangerously close to the climax now, their pace quickening. The room filled with the sounds of their bodies moving against each other, the sighs of pleasure and an occasional moan or whimper when the sensations become too strong to hold the feelings inside.

Finally, Kaname cried out in bliss, the hand supporting them both nearly buckling from under him from the overwhelming sensations. He buried his head in the ex-human's neck, his ragged breath stirring the silver locks of hair. Though, Kaname didn't stop, Zero still hadn't found his release yet.

It took a few more trusts and few more frantic heartbeats before it was the hunter's turn. Moan of pleasure that escaped from his lips and the wetness against his stomach clear proof that he too reached his ecstasy.

Kaname finally eased the arm supporting them and both collapsed onto the soft sheets. The silk was pleasantly cool against their heated bodies. Amorously tangled together, they stayed close feeling each other's tremors as the last waves of passion echoed through their bodies.

Zero nuzzled Kaname's neck lovingly, quite unwilling to let go of the other's body and fully intending to taste more of that delicious warm skin beneath. He noticed that all of the marks he left on the pureblood's neck had already disappeared, courtesy of his quick healing. Disappointed, Zero decided to rectify that predicament and started nibbling on the soft skin anew. The hunter was quite unwilling to give up that feeling of closeness and complete fulfillment that their lovemaking caused and this was his way of prolonging those sensations. As he heard the pureblood's content sigh, he knew it went both ways.

Suddenly, Zero realized that it wasn't just his lips and tongue brushing against the warm skin anymore. No, there was also a very distinctive hint of fangs. The truth was, his canines were prolonged for quite some time already, but Zero was too occupied to really notice. For one insane moment the hunter felt the overwhelming urge to sink into that soft flesh and get the taste of that heavenly red liquid almost overpowered by that desire. Shocked by his own thoughts he quickly stopped, visibly drawing away from Kaname.

Zero realized how close he was to actually breaking through the pureblood's skin and quickly turned his head away in shame, the back of his hand covering his mouth. What the hell was wrong with him?

"Sorry I…" Zero started to apologize but halted. _He what?_ _What was he going to say? Sorry for wanting to tear into your flesh and trying to taste your blood like the beast I obviously am?_

The hunter felt like crap. How could he let that monster, which he believed he managed to isolate somewhere deep inside in his mind, nearly take over him so easily now? Ever since Kaname made him taste his blood on that fateful night the hunter was finding it harder and harder to suppress these cravings. From the time Shizuka had bitten him Zero resisted his inner beast for so long and yet now… It was just another proof that he was one of those bloodthirsty monsters he was hunting. Maybe it was only a matter of time before he won't be able to suppress his bloodlust anymore and he too will be hunted down like a crazed level E. Zero shuddered at that image.

At first, Kaname didn't know what was the problem, only noticing the way the boy stiffened and quickly drew away from him, but one look at the ex-human's dejected form was enough for him to get the right idea. Back at the city he already got the impression that the Zero wasn't really used to drinking blood or being vampire in general, but he had no idea the whole act of drinking might be so difficult for him.

It sparked a sudden surge of anger in Kaname that unintentionally awakened his own carnal instincts. How could Shizuka do this to someone? Just change them into vampire and then discard them like a broken toy, let them fetch for themselves. It was practically a death sentence. A condemnation to a very long and very painful walk through the death row paved with a slow descent into the madness. Kaname might be a pureblood, but sometimes even he despised his own kind, to which the cruelty often came like a second nature. His parents thought him to be better than that.

The hunter tensed as he noticed the pureblood's sudden malevolent aura. Thinking, that Kaname was furious because Zero can't control himself, he was more than ready to really retreat. "I should go…" He quickly sat up, ready to leave.

"No, no! It's okay…" Kaname, too, rose to a sitting position, quickly stopping the ex-human. He frowned at himself for giving the hunter the wrong impression. He let his anger at Shizuka take over him for a moment and unintentionally agitated the ex-human more. But maybe he could still use this mistake to his advantage. The pureblood gently tugged at the boy's chin. "It's okay. Look at me, Zero."

Reluctantly, Zero turned his head and his heart nearly stopped at the sight. Kaname's eyes were of bright red color, like a freshly spilled blood, and a very distinctive set of fangs protruded from his mouth. For a moment the hunter forgot his own disposition when a familiar spike of uneasiness pierced through himr. Being this close to a vampire who showed signs of malice and bloodlust...it was doing haywire to his hunter instincts and it nearly threw him to a fighting mode. And yet… looking behind the crimson there was still that familiar tenderness hidden underneath. This was Kaname and somehow Zero couldn't find it in himself to really see him as just another bloodthirsty monster. Not anymore.

Carefully, the hunter cupped the pureblood's face, his thumb brushing the contours of his lips, before hesitantly touching the tips of his fangs. Kaname sucked in breath at the contact, but otherwise didn't move.

What a curious sensation, being this close to something that particularly appeared only in his nightmares. Sharp set of canines, which main purpose was to kill. Yet at this moment, the hunter didn't feel alarmed. He pressed his thumb against the sharp tip a little harder and accidently broke the skin, drawing a drop of blood. Kaname inhaled sharply the moment the scent reached him. Zero tried to draw his hand away but the pureblood caught him, licking the drop off with a deliberate slowness. His gaze was still bright red as it met his and Zero briefly wondered if his own eyes were of the same crimson shade. It proved that the pureblood was as much affected by the blood and was as much of a beast and yet, he was not emitting any malicious aura anymore. No, there was only tenderness mirrored in that gaze. If Kaname wanted for the boy to relax he was on the right track.

"Your reaction is completely natural. Actually, I would be more worried if your fangs didn't show. I might even take that as a sign that you don't find me quite exciting enough." Kaname quipped to further ease the tension and it seemed to work. Zero scowled, but there was no longer any real spite behind it.

"After all, we're predators in more than one way." The pureblood added in a seductive whisper. "One desire can easily turn into another..." He slowly hooked his arm around Zero's neck and drawing him closer, Kaname kissed him deeply. He made sure to let his tongue roam across the boy's fangs making him shiver.

Zero sucked in his breath. He had no idea his fangs were sensitive to touch. He returned the kiss, his own tongue hesitantly brushing against the pureblood's sharp tips. What a curious sensation that was.

They separated for breath and Zero's gaze unconsciously shifted back towards the king's neck. He could almost see all those veins pulsing just beneath the surface. His fangs ached with a renewed thirst and the hunter stiffened. He was doing it again, nearly letting out that beast inside him. What was wrong with him? Yet now, there was one other voice in the back of his mind whispering to him that there might be nothing wrong with what he so much wanted to do. It's not like he would be biting someone against their will or hurting them in any way, right? Moreover, this would not the first time he drank from the king. So what was the harm…

Kaname watched the display of emotions playing across the ex-human's face, patiently waiting for his decision. It was his turn to tense when Zero seemed to reach his conclusion and visibly drew closer to his neck. The pureblood raised his hand with intention to stop him, as if he only just now realized what he was going to do. Does he really want to do this? It was a huge risk. One that could very easily turn into a huge mistake. To let an ex-human bite him, taste his life essence in this way… It was a leap of faith and Kaname would have to trust the other completely.

Even though the pureblood knew it was very foolish, he wanted to offer this intimate part to Zero. For so long he had to guard himself, not relying on anyone. All his life, he had to bear everything on his own and that made for one very lonely existence. Now…well, now Kaname was tired of all this. He wanted someone to trust. Not just someone, but Zero. His whole soul called out for this feeling of closeness that he got only when he was near the boy. The pureblood wanted, no, _needed,_ to share himself, to share his blood with someone he so deeply cared about.

In the end, Kaname tugged Zero's head closer. Further encouraging him. He knew it won't be easy for the boy to resist for long anyway. Not in his heightened state and especially not since the ex-human had already tasted his pure blood once. As expected, though with a touch of reluctance, he felt the boy's lips brushing against his skin, followed by the sensation of something sharp breaking through and sinking into his neck.

The pureblood let Zero drink, burying his face to the silver hair, his own desires coming to the surface, too. Kaname's fangs ached with the need to bite into that slim, pulsing column so close to him, but he knew it was something he should never allow himself to do. Instead, he had to satisfy himself with inhaling deeply the delicious scent imaging what could be, but never should.

The silence of the room was penetrated only be the occasional sounds of the blood being drawn and contended sigh, here and there accompanied by a sharper intake of breath.

Sated in all ways possible, Zero gently licked the puncture wounds, feeling the slight tremors underneath whenever his tongue lapped over the closing bite. Kaname's blood tasted heavenly and the hunter found it almost impossible to resist. He knew he should feel bad, should feel more like a monster he was becoming, but he was too sated, too spent to let any remorse get to him for the time being. Instead, he let his head rest against the pureblood's shoulder, content to just stay where he was forever and let Kaname push them both down.

The hunter was so tired and content that he nearly fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. With half closed eyes, he felt the pureblood settling down next to him, moving the sheets from under them, covering them both.

Nearly dozing off, something caught Zero's attention in the corner of his eyes suddenly. Something red and fragile, something that had no business to be on the bed in the first place. Curious, the hunter opened his eyes fully and turned his head to have a better look.

It was a red rose bud. It must have fallen out from his pocket, when the pureblood was so happily getting him out of his tunic.

"The rose!" Zero reached for the flower but Kaname was quicker, snatching it before him.

The pureblood grabbed the small flower, smiling when he recognized it. He weighed it on his palm carefully, as if was holding something of great value. With a tender smile playing on his lips he looked up at Zero.

"Luckily, we didn't crush it." Kaname brought the rose to his lips kissing its petals gently, before he put the flower on the nightstand, safely away from any possible harm as if it was a precious treasure. For him it was no longer just an ordinary flower.

The pureblood settled back on the bed next to Zero, their foreheads touching. Silver and dark brown locks of hair mingling together on the pillow, they stayed like that for quite a long time, just enjoying the other's presence. From time to time exchanging little pecks on the lips or just caressing some part of their lover's face as if they could no longer hold back the urge to touch the other. They fell asleep shortly after that, curled in each other's arms.

…

Remembering the entire thing, Zero was this close to actually burying himself under the covers in embarrassment, though for now, he settled for banging the back of his head against the bed board. _What the hell possessed him last night to act like that? To let it go so far…_

Though, he had to admit that even if there were some embarrassing moments, most of the memories were of pleasurable kind and some of them felt very endearing and much precious. The hunter scowled at himself when he realized that he was staring at one place for quite some time now with a goofy smile on his face.

Then, Zero remembered the biting part and for a short moment that memory sent a spike of anger through him. He felt like he had been somehow manipulated into drinking, even if it was him who initiated the bite. Yet, the more rational part of the hunter knew that it was all just an excuse, because he was already threading on thin ice lately and would have eventually succumbed to his bloodlust sooner or later. Zero knew that it was inevitable ever since Shizuka bit him. Actually, he should be glad it turned out to be like that. If not for Kaname, Zero would have continued suppressing his thirst, until he wouldn't be able to take it anymore and attacking someone, maybe even killing them in his craze. All in all, the hunter had to admit that he was quite grateful that things turned out so well.

Suddenly, the hunter recalled the rose bud and something occurred to him. His eyes once again strayed towards the glass vial on the nightstand and for the first time since he woke up he looked at it thoroughly. Floating inside the liquid was the red flower bud. The hunter picked up the vial and examined it closely. The lightning in the room made the petals' color appear to be of a dark garnet hue, reminding Zero of someone's eyes. Maybe it was just his imagination, but the small flask felt warm to touch.

"Do you like it?" Kaname suddenly appeared in the doorway, startling the hunter who nearly dropped the vial.

Seeing the pureblood, Zero willed himself to act casually, trying not to blush or give any other embarrassing reaction. Though, the memories were still quite fresh in his mind and the pureblood didn't make it easy for him, the way he was dressed in those deliciously loose cotton pants that hung dangerously low on his hips. The towel around his neck and slightly damp hairs suggested that he just bathed.

"It's yours." Kaname came closer to the bed and sat down on the edge near the ex-human. Struck by a sudden compulsion to touch the other, the pureblood raised his hand and caressed Zero's cheek with the back of his hand. His eyes twinkled as he felt the heat underneath the soft, pale skin, speaking volumes about how much the boy was affected by what happened between them. The truth was, Kaname was as much moved by this, but he was much better at hiding his feelings behind the mask.

Slightly flustered by their close proximity, Zero grabbed the pureblood's hand to pull it away from his face. However, he didn't drop his hold completely. No, their fingers remained intertwined atop the sheets.

"I have one, too," Kaname admitted, nodding towards the mahogany dresser in the opposite corner of the room. Sure enough, on its top stood another small glass container. It was identical to the one Zero was still holding in his other hand. Well, with one exception and that was the rose bud inside was of white color. It was the one that used belong to Zero before they exchanged them. The dimmed lightning made it look almost silver.

"I thought those roses were way too precious to be just left forgotten in our pockets. I wanted something more permanent, a memento of a kind. So, I got them sealed in a special solution. This way they will never wither, holding the most treasured memories for all eternity," Kaname concluded his explanation.

"You're such a sap," Zero rolled his eyes, but he couldn't stop his lips from forming into a soft smile. He couldn't help but be warmed by the gesture. His grip tightened around the glass as well as his fingers clasped the pureblood's hand with a little more strenght.

"Maybe," Kaname beamed, not even trying to deny that statement. "I got the idea when we nearly crushed yours. And for what other purpose is there a royal alchemy laboratory in this castle if not to fulfilling their king's whims?"

Zero shook his head in bewilderment, "wow, all this while I was asleep?"

"Well, I can be quite resourceful if I put my mind to it," the pureblood grinned. After all, it took only one quick trip to the royal laboratory and one very capable alchemist that was quite willing to work without sleep if the king wishes so.

"Oh, I think I can imagine." Zero smiled mischievously before hurriedly putting the vial back on the nightstand and diving his hand into the pureblood's wavy hair. Raking his fingers through dark locks, he pulled the pureblood's head and closed the gap between their lips once again.


End file.
